That Unrequited Childhood Love
by InLoveWithFairyTail
Summary: At that one time and that one place, Lucy and Natsu made a promise to stick to each other like glue. although, it seems that with each passing year, Natsu gets farther and farther away from Lucy - either because he's taking an interest in other girls, or he's taking an interest in other girls. "You can't, Luce. You can't become my girlfriend." "Why not?"
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here I go. The poem underneath is a summary of the story! (I wrote it) I hope you guys enjoy this story. Thumbs up! They should make a little symbol for a thumbs up sign...**

**Hope you enjoy this story! :)**

**I do not own Fairy Tail!**

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**Prologue: Chapter I**

_You and I have always been together_

_In preschool and kindergarten when we played together and laughed_

_Except for those times when you fell_

_In first and second grade when you said girls should play with girls_

_Well, nothing a punch in the face didn't fix_

_In third and fourth grade when you said girls should be cuter _

_I punched you again_

_In fifth and sixth grade when you started to rank the girls in the class_

_I tore that paper up and called you stupid_

_I stuck with you throughout all these years_

_Even in seventh grade when you called her pretty_

_Even in eighth grade when you declined her confession_

_Even in ninth grade on graduation day when you said you made a mistake_

_And ran back to her to confess and accept her feelings at last_

_I stuck with you throughout all these years_

_Even when you held hands with her_

_Even on Valentine's Day_

_Even on White Day_

_But maybe I should have really given up when you kissed her._

_Given up on this pointless, wandering love._

_I should have moved on to others_

_Or maybe I should have just enjoyed youth while it lasted…_

_And I did for a while…_

_But when I saw you for the first time in what seemed like ages_

_I found that I couldn't quite quit on that stupid,_

_idiotic,_

_moronic,_

_unrequited _

_childhood love._

If I really, really think back, everything probably happened right around the time Natsu moved into my neighborhood, right into the house next to mine. That was when I was four, attending preschool just because my father thought "it is necessary for her to develop her mind at a young age". Layla, my mother, decided to greet the Dragneels, even though Jude distinctly told her he wasn't interested in them.

But Mom wouldn't have it.

"Get up, darling, or I'll _drag _you there."

So, dressed in my frilliest dress (really, it was disgustingly lacy), we went next door, rang the bell exactly two times, and waited, anxious smiles plastered on our faces (or in Dad's case, a fake anxious smile). Finally, just when never-give-up Layla Heartfilia was about to concede and admit no one was going to answer the door, it swung open, revealing a man in his mid - thirties or so.

He had an unshaven face, and sleepy, annoyed eyes. His whole face sagged down with irritation, as if we had just awakened him from his daily nap, and he was now extremely upset with us. Adorned by him was a plain, sleeveless, white shirt, and striped blue-and-white boxers; he had socks that stopped in the middle of his calf, and his feet were shoved into a pair of ragged bunny slippers. His hair was a hue of blazing red, just like a rosy fire. For a moment, Daddy gave Mom an I-told-you-so glance, and then smiled warmly. He stepped up in front of Layla to extend his hand for a firm shake. The neighbor took it, clearly still disturbed by our sudden visit.

"Hello, neighbor!" Dad announced after he let go of the man's hand. "Welcome to the neighborhood. We are the Heartfilia's. My name is Jude, this is my wife Layla, and this here is our little, precious daughter Lucy."

It was only after I was mentioned that the man moved. His unchanging expression suddenly cracked into a grin, and he asked me, "How old are you?"

With as much gusto as I could muster, I replied, "Four…and I'm still accounting."

"Honey, it's counting," Mother corrected, giving a quirky smile. She cleared her throat, and greeted the man, who was glancing behind him occasionally.

"Hello, my name is Layla. I hope you don't mind that I brought you some pie."

The disheveled man took the pastry into his hands, and smiled. "No, I don't mind. Because…"

A crash came from inside the house, and the redheaded man snapped around, and yelled, "Natsu! If I that was anything of mine, I'll wring your neck!"

Layla gave Jude a sideways glance, suddenly considering the thought that Father might have been right this time around.

"Sorry, Igneel!" a shrill voice called from within.

The man, apparently called Igneel, turned back to us. "Sorry. That's just my son. He's four-years-old, just like your daughter. That's why I asked her for her age…he tends to get bored easily, so I thought a friend might make things a little better."

"Hey, Igneel!" the little voice had suddenly become louder, "Hey, instead of a dog, can we get a dragon instead?"

The man rolled his eyes, and opened the door a little wider, permitting us to see who the speaker was.

It was a boy. Well…obviously, a boy named Natsu. Except he had spiky locks of hair that was arranged messily, onyx eyes, and two rows of teeth that looked a bit sharp. His face broke into a huge smile when he saw me, waving enthusiastically. And the most surprising part: his hair was…

"Your hair's pink!" I said in astonishment, pointing to his head. His hands flew up to his hair, and he gave a reproachful look.

"It's salmon."

"It's pink, don't worry about it. This kid can be stubborn…and his case, his stubbornness kind of makes him stupid…a lot," Igneel assured me, ruffling the boy's hair playfully.

"Nah, I'm not stupid. I know my multiply-cation table all the way up to the one's," Natsu said proudly.

"He doesn't." His father sighed, and patted his son on the back cheerfully. "He only knows addition, and he's not very good at it."

"Hey, I'll get the hang of it once I know what's so useful about it. Anyways, Luigi – I heard your name from inside the house - what's up with your dress? Looks like someone threw up sparkles and rainbows all over it."

I looked down at my clothes, and then raised my head to meet his gaze.

"First of all, stupid, it's Lucy! And second of all, I hate this stupid thing, too!"

"Lucy Heartfilia!" Layla gasped, disapproving of my insult delivered to Pink Head. "Apologize now."

"S'all right…I don't really mind bein' called an idiot. Primarily because I know big words like 'primarily'."

"But still-!" Layla protested.

"Hey, are you going to go to preschool?" I asked, cocking my head to so that the image of Natsu's face was turned a little. I heard Mother harrumph as she was interrupted; I would be scolded for it later, but right that moment, I was preoccupied with questioning the boy before me. After a moment, he tilted his head as well, and gave the thumbs up.

"Yeah, Igneel says I need to work on some math-er-magics some more, or somethin'."

I straightened myself, and Natsu followed suit, staring as I clapped my hands in delight. Not one of my other friends attended the same early learning center as I did (since they all lived in different neighborhoods – only social events like Family Fun Day at the park brought us together), so I rattled off the next question ecstatically.

"Morning or afternoon class?"

"Morning."

"So am I!"

I smiled at him happily, and after a moment's hesitation, he did the same. Igneel pushed him from the back, so that he stumbled forward a bit.

"Hey, Luce, do you wanna go play hide-and-seek?"

Warily, I raised my head to look at Mother, who stared back at me, considering the pros and cons of the situation, just as she always did. Finally, her shoulders relaxed, her smile returned to her lips, and she nodded slowly.

"She said I can go!" I said needlessly to Natsu, grabbing his hand to pull him along. His heels dug into the ground below him, and he asked me sheepishly, "Aren't you going to change out of that thing first?"

I looked down at myself once again. "Good idea."

* * *

Two months later, I stood at Natsu's doorstep – wearing a baggy t-shirt, cargo shorts, cap, and baseball mitt – slamming my finger on his doorbell repeatedly. From within, I could hear the stifled moan of Igneel as he called, "Natsu! Would you get the door already!?"

I heard the locks click in a flurry, and finally, that boy came out, a baseball bat slung over his shoulder. With a sigh, he smiled at me, and muttered, "Sorry about that. I couldn't find my lucky hat."

Twisting my hair up into a high ponytail, I waved the apology off. "Yeah, yeah…let's go to the park."

He obliged, dragging the head of the bat on the ground as we passed by the front gates of his house. Natsu looked up into the sky, where it had gradually become gray and dismal. "Are you sure it won't rain today, Luce?"

"If it does, we'll just take shelter somewhere. Besides, it was sunny moments ago…only _someone _took too long in getting out."

"Well, who ever heard of two four-year-olds going to the park to play baseball by themselves anyways? We should have had at least a few more people."

I rolled my eyes, punching him in the arm so that he would stop complaining. He hit me back, rubbing his arm sourly. "If it rains and I get sick, you're taking care of me."

I began to punch the baseball into my mitt repetitively, and I licked my lips excitedly. "That reminds me of a soap opera my mom and I are watching. It's called _You in the Hospital. _It's about this man who gets injured in the First World War or something like that, and he has to go to the hospital in some town. This lady gets put in charge to take care of him, and they start to fall in love."

"Oh, gross-!"

"But then, the guy's old girlfriend comes back, and says that his dad arranged for them to be fiancés. So the lady who was taking care of the guy is all upset because she can't do anything about it. But then, one day, when she comes into his room to give him some breakfast, he kisses her right on the lips!"

Natsu took a moment to stand at the side of the sidewalk and pretend to vomit. I waited until he was done, and decided to continue walking with me.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing," he declared, "that's never gonna happen between you and me, Luce."

"Well, of course not, stupid. The World War's over – both of them - and I want to become a famous writer, not a nurse."

"No, not that," Natsu said in irritation, "The part where those two sappy people fall in love, or whatever, and kiss. We'll never succumb to that kind of thing."

I stopped for a moment, partly because I was trying to figure out what 'succumb' meant, and partly because I was annoyed by what he had just said.

"Well, why not?"

He turned around to face me, thoroughly confused. "Because we're just friends, Luce. Why else?"

The hand inside my mitt clenched, and I replied in a controlled tone, "Sometimes friends fall in love with each other. Why can't we?"

"Those other people are different. So, you and I are different from them, Luce. Trust me, we're just friends."

"Well, what if I wanted to become your girlfriend in the future?"

As I said the question, an elderly couple passing by chuckled and muttered, "Kids these days are so advanced."

I spared them a glance, and once again devoted my attention to Natsu, who was shaking his head condescendingly at me. My hands itched to push him down, but I stayed rooted to the spot, my hands locked at my sides.

"You can't, Luce. You can't become my girlfriend."

"Why not?"

"That'd be gross! Like I said, just friends. End of discussion."

_No, not end of discussion, _I thought, my eyebrows slanting down into angry lines. My hand inside the glove had become sweaty. All of a sudden, I wanted to run back home again, crawl under my covers, and just ignore Natsu for the rest of the week.

"Well, Luce, come on! We'll never get to play baseball if you linger around like that!"

I scowled, but ran to him anyways. He seemed unaffected by our conversation, and that fact made me even more upset.

"Igneel's right. You're stupid."

"What was that for?" he protested.

But before I could answer his question, a large boom sounded from overhead. I tripped just a little, but Natsu managed to catch me before I could fall flat on my face. He looked at the sky, and immediately looked down when he received a raindrop in his eye.

"It's beginning to sprinkle," he groaned, crossing his arms and glaring at me.

"Don't be a jerk, especially when you know it's all your fault we didn't get to play," I spat back, throwing my hands over my head.

Suddenly, the light sprinkles of water became heavier, and we stood there in amazement as the drizzling became a downpour.

"I stand corrected," Natsu said through clenched teeth, "It's not beginning to sprinkle…it's already pouring."

Keeping my mouth tight-lipped, I took him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him underneath the sanctuary of a supermarket cloth canopy. It was curved and about four feet wide, but we pressed against the wall anyways. Without hesitation, Natsu checked the market's front door, but it was still locked from the night before. The grocery mart didn't usually open until ten in the morning, and the last time I had checked the time, it had been eight o' clock sharp.

"Great," he moaned, sliding down to the ground. I followed suit, shaking droplets of water from my ponytail; my clothes clung to my body, and I began to shiver relentlessly. I tried to hide it from Natsu, stifling the noisy chatter of my teeth.

"Come closer," he directed me, "You're cold, right?"

"Yeah," I said reproachfully, but the bite in my answer was eaten away by the clattering of my teeth against each other. Natsu shifted uncomfortably as I scooted closer to him, looking the other way as I stared on straight ahead.

After a long moment had been filled with silence, I whispered, "Hey, Natsu."

"Yeah?"

"You know how you said we're friends?"

He sighed, "Yeah, Luce, _just _friends."

I fell silent, thinking about my next statement before it was actually thrown out.

"Well, we'll be together forever right?"

Natsu didn't answer, and I looked up indignantly. "_Right?"_

Still no reply.

"Natsu, whether we're in a relationship or just friends, we'll be together forever, right?"

Finally, he looked at me, his facial expression softened. "Yeah, Luce, we'll stick together like glue."

"Then let's seal it with a pinky promise."

The boy groaned, bringing the palm of his hand to his face. "Do we got to?"

"_Yeah_, Natsu."

Slowly, the boy brought his pinky up and intertwined it with mine, wincing as I wrapped my finger around his. "Pinky promise. We'll always be together forever, and stick to each other like glue."

I smiled at him. Gradually, he did too, and muttered, "Yeah, like glue. I'll come to you whenever you need help Luce."

Now, years later, if you go up to my room, open the door really quietly, and sift through the top drawer a bit, you'll find out that it has a false bottom. If you lift that up, and slip your hand underneath, you'll pull out a rumpled, ragged diary with my name scrawled on the cover. For the sake of this story, you can open it. Turn to the eleventh page or so and read:

_That rainy day agreement seemed real_

_We even made it official with a seal_

_But day by day_

_I have to say_

_That promise dies_

_And soon, it'll become nothing but_

_A lie…_

Day by day, the plot thickens…

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**Hope you liked this! And do you know how I'll find out if you liked this story!? That's right ladies and...gentlemen? (that is, if guys take an interest in this kind of thing) you can leave a review in the review box!**

**Please, no negative things...! (I received a negative comment on one of my stories today...it didn't make me feel good...**

**:D**


	2. Chapter 2: First and Second Grade

**Thank you akemi510 and crystal5329 for reviewing my story! You guys support me on a lot of my works! :D**

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**Prologue Chapter 2: First and Second Grade**

When we were in first grade, transitioning to second, Natsu changed a little bit. And by that, I mean he could have possibly gotten stupider. Our first taste of first grade, and then second grade had delighted him. Pleased with the many friends he gained quickly, he began to avoid me at all costs. And that really pissed me off. So, day by day, I pestered him to let me join in the games he and the other boys played. Every time, he'd refuse, wrinkling up his face in disgust and saying, "But you're a girl."

One day, I ran up to him while he, Gray, Loke, and a bunch of other guys from our class were setting up to play baseball. Eager to join, I ran out to Natsu, who was standing at first base, knees bent in a ready-to-catch position.

"Natsu!" I called, waving my hand in the air as I reached him at last. He ignored me as Gray threw the ball to him; the pink-headed boy caught it, tapped his foot on the base, and a very dejected Jet stopped running, turning back to go line up again.

"Can I join in?"

He spared me a glance, turned back to the game, and licked his lips in anticipation. "No."

My face fell, and I stood silently for a few moments as Loke swung the bat, hit the ball with a surprisingly strong impact, and began to run towards first base.

"Why not?" I asked, stepping towards him to receive an answer.

"Luce! You're blocking the-!"

The ball flew way over my head, and Natsu crashed into me as he missed the catch. I fell to the ground with a shriek, and he did too, biting off a recent swear word he had learned from the older kids at school.

"…way," he finished his sentence grumpily, grabbing his fallen cap from the ground and plopping it onto his head. He stood up, dusting off his shorts in irritation.

"Ow," I mumbled, also getting up on my own accord.

"That gave 'em a base," Gray growled as he approached us, scowl already plastered onto his face. "If not for that stupid fall you took, flame brain, we could have gotten him out."

"Hey, Ice Maiden," Natsu retorted, packing as much venom into the reply as he could, "it wasn't my fault!"

"Natsu!" Droy called from the other end of the field at third base, "Could you _please _tell your girlfriend to be lovey-dovey with you later?!"

"Shut up!" Pink Head snapped at the boy and glared at me accusingly, as if to say "Look at what you've done". "Luce is not my girlfriend, like I've told you about…a gazillion times before."

Gray rolled his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest (although his moody stance was weakened by the sudden disappearance of his shirt). "You walk home with her every day, Natsu. Why couldn't she be your girlfriend?"

I put my hands on my hips, looking at my childhood friend sternly. "Yeah, Natsu, why couldn't I?"

He had already turned back to the game, and Gray had already run back to his position, partly to continue the play, and partly because he was sure he had left his shirt behind at the pitcher's location. I cocked my head to look into Natsu's face. "_Well?"_

"We've been through this before, haven't we?" he asked bitterly, his eyes never leaving the swing of the bat. This time, the ball was thrown to Droy, who tagged Loke and got him out.

"Well, yeah, but-!"

"That was three outs!" someone called, and the people on the field started to go to the backstop.

"Natsu…!" I whined, looking at the baseball bat desperately.

"Luce, we'll talk about it later, all right? I'm up first."

I watched moodily as he walked to home plate, picked up the skinny bat, and scuffed it in the dirt a few times. With a graceful movement, he flung it up into the air, and waved it around a little to ready himself. Smirking slightly, Loke stooped down low, then lifted himself up, raised his leg, and flung the ball. It came at a great speed, almost a blur, and curved ever so slightly. Natsu was ready for it.

With an almost artistic slight rotation of his body, he hit the ball, sending it high into the air, but far enough to prevent it from being caught. For a moment, the frame of his lightly arched body was framed by the rosy evening light, and then he took off. He ran around the whole diamond, completing a run in just one try. When he came back, with his foot slamming down on home plate, he panted and told Gray, "Beat that, ya stupid stripper."

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"Did you see the way Jet practically lunged for the ball?" Natsu laughed as we walked home, or rather as he and his friends walked home, and I trailed behind them.

"Well, yeah, kind of hard to miss his face hittin' the darn ground," Gray guffawed, his hands stretched out behind his head. For some unknown reason, his shirt and pants were still on.

"It hurt!" protested Jet, rubbing his cheek from where it had scraped along the dirt and gravel. "And you guys didn't even help me."

I sighed softly as the boys chattered, trying to bore two burning holes in Natsu's head as he ignored my existence entirely. But all miserable feelings dissolved as we passed by the tennis courts. All of a sudden, as I examined the tennis players behind the fence hitting practice shots, pestering Natsu about letting me play sports with him suddenly became a passé.

My fingers interlocked with metal as I watched a junior high school boy dressed in a simple collared white tee, and white shorts, jump up and hit a ball with a tremendous amount of force. The girl on the other side of the court applauded him, babbling some tennis ramble that I could not make sense of. She then caught my eyes, winked, and returned to lobbing balls for the other player.

"Luce!" Natsu called. I turned my head to face him reluctantly; when he saw that I intended to be slow, he sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Let's go."

I blinked, suddenly realizing that all his friends were gone. When he noticed my confusion, he scowled at me, his eyebrows crumpling the skin of his forehead.

"I had to go back for you…so they all left."

My hands fell away from the metal, interweaving fence, and I looked at him with a blank stare. He made it sound as if going back for me was an extremely bad thing. Dragging my feet, I went to his side, where he grunted, "If you like tennis so much, why don't you just learn how to play?"

"Mom says to wait for now…we need to find a good class and some money. Besides, who would walk home with you if I was gone for tennis?"

Natsu gave me a skeptical look, then an uneasy one. "Luce, we're in the second grade now. It's time we get some other friends besides just each other. That aside, girls should just play with girls."

"Girls can hang out with guys, too!"

He rolled his eyes, sighing. "You really don't get how this world works, do you, Luce?"

I shoved out my lower lip, pushed it back in when my fury bubbled over, and clenched my fists. "Don't you condescend me, Natsu Dragneel!"

'Condescend' was one of the many words Jude had taught me so that I would get the hang of outsmarting Natsu in his wordplay. Father also told me a little fist action wouldn't hurt, as well. But I was pretty sure he was kidding. However, I wasn't kidding when I wound up my fist, and connected it with Natsu's jaw.

"You jerk!"

He stumbled back, stepped on his untied shoelaces, and fell to the ground, where he looked at me blankly. Finally, he brought his hand to his cheek to nurse it back to recovery. "That was awesome!"

I looked at him, suddenly wondering if I had hit him too hard.

"Lucy, you've got to play baseball tomorrow! If you apply that much power to the bat as you hit the ball…we'll surely win!"

He gazed at me excitedly, and I felt my face breaking into a grin despite myself. "All right!"

Now, as I think back on that day, I see myself standing before home plate…patting the bat into the dirt, and my heart beating very, very fast. Behind me, shielded by the backstop, Natsu is licking his lips, his breath slowing as he watches the pitcher's straight throw…

I don't even wait for Natsu to say, "Go!" like he said he would to help me. I swing the bat, my weight shifting from one foot to the other, and blink as the sound of the crash between vinyl and wood rip through the air.

It's silent for a moment, and then…

"Lucy! Run!" Natsu's voice urges me on as I drop the bat with a clang, and start racing towards first base. My foot stomps down on it just as the ball comes flying towards me; the first baseman, lips bit by his teeth, gasps as it sails above his head, and he falls, failing to catch it.

"One base on an overthrow! One base on an overthrow!" Natsu screams, and I begin to dash towards second. The person there misses the catch as well, and so does the next one. With my breath ragged in my throat, I pass home plate, beaming as the boys crowd me to congratulate me on the run.

Natsu is to the side, and when he catches my glance, he smiles at me, then says, "I'll try to beat that."

On the inside cover of my diary, a little bent at the corners because I'm so used to fingering it, is a photograph of the boys and me, smiling as we kneel for the picture of our victorious game. Right next to me is a dirty Natsu, grinning crazily as he puts his arm around my shoulder. And I'm smiling a little wildly too, truly happy in my proximity to my childhood friend.

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**A little short I know but...bear with me :D**


	3. Chapter 3: Third and Fourth Grade

**Just a little note before hand...this chapter is SUPER short!**

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**Prologue Chapter 3: Third and Fourth Grade**

When we had just moved on from third to fourth grade, I found myself standing on a pale green court, swinging a racket as it deflected an even paler green ball lobbed right towards me. It was called tennis practice, and I was obsessed with it.

Ever since my mother had enrolled me into the program, people had found out that I had a real talent for the sport. The Twist Serve, the Drop Volley (A/N: Prince of Tennis fans out there…!), I could do them both.

Now, I stood there, thwacking the ball with the racquet, bouncing it off the wall repetitively. I let out a frustrated sigh as the ball hit another place from the one mark on the wall. I ground the heel of my shoe into the floor, tipping my visor back in irritation.

"Luce!"

I turned, smiling as Natsu approached me, his school bag slung over his shoulder.

"How was the game with the guys?" I asked him.

"Aw, you should have seen it!" he exclaimed, tightening his hands into fists. "This older kid in sixth grade came along and he joined our team. He hit the ball so hard it flew over the fence! We won!"

I pouted.

"Why the face?"

I rolled my eyes. "I wish I could have been there."

"Well, you weren't."

Once again, I rolled my eyes, punching him in the arm. "Well, duh."

"How was tennis practice?"

"Same as usual."

"Other girls giving you glares?"

"Maybe."

Natsu cocked his head, and beamed. "Hey, when you're done….doin' whatever you're doin', you wanna come to my house to reenact the 2011 Baseball World Series again?"

I crossed my arms, giving him a skeptical look, "Why? So I can act out as the losing team again?"

My childhood friend shrugged.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Natsu. I'd rather act out astronauts and aliens with you."

"Then so be it!"

"I was kidding."

"Thought so. So, what'll it be? Space aliens, or a freakin' awesome baseball game?"

"Uh, neither. Mom and Dad's just gonna – going to – come over for some dinner and then we'll leave."

Natsu opened his mouth to say something, but paused as a group of giggling girls walked past. Their tennis uniform skirts fluttered around them as they sauntered by. He pointed to them, gazing at me questioningly.

"Why don't you wear a skirt?"

I looked down at my knee-length shorts. "Why should I?"

Natsu sighed, looking at me with sympathetic eyes. "Luce. Girls should be cuter. As it is now, you aren't a girl."

That day, Natsu was left behind at the tennis courts, knocked out, and bearing a shoeprint on his face.

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**Next time on TUCL:**

**Prologue Chapter 4: Fifth and Sixth Grade**

**Natsu creates a list with the boys in class that ranks the girls from cutest to...not so cute. Lucy finds out and...**


	4. Chapter 4: Fifth and Sixth Grade

**Thanks for all those reviewers (especially Dog's Paw Burning in Hot Ash!)**

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**Prologue Chapter 4: Fifth and Sixth Grade**

Sixth grade: kings and queens of the grade school…and Natsu had become hopelessly stupider. We were placed into the same class, along with Gray and the other guys, and so he started to hang out with them a lot more than was usual. So, in despair, I found myself a few other friends to talk with. For a while, Natsu and I lived side by side in peace, although, romantically, I didn't. He was still a complete IDIOT (need I say more?) when it came to love. Seven years ago, he had told me in his four-year-old voice that we couldn't be a couple.

Surprisingly, though, he had become quite popular with the girls. And all because of his extremely talented skills at baseball. He told me, with a smirk on his lips, "I'm going to be in the baseball club for junior high next year."

I, on the other hand, had settled for tennis club. Over the years, I had refined my Western and Eastern grip on the racket, and had improved my footing as well.

One day in our sixth grade year stands out the most, and thinking about it now still gets me fairly upset.

Just after the bell rang, signaling the end of school, Levy came up to me, and beamed, her hands shoved deep into her pockets.

"Luuuucy," she drawled, "we're on locker room patrol, remember?"

"Don't I ever," I replied, picking up my school bag.

The blunette wrinkled her nose, pointing to my pack. "Maybe you should leave it there. I've heard it gets reeeally dusty in the locker rooms when it hasn't been cleaned for a while."

I glanced down at my bag, freshly cleaned from last weekend. "Maybe you're right."

"Let's go, then."

"Hold up."

I turned my head, looking for that pink head in the midst of crowding girls and boys. Opening my mouth partly, I called, "Natsu! I'm going with Levy on locker room duty!"

Gradually, the boy's face came into view, and his happy expression slackened as he looked at me. "Oh, yeah. I'll be here with the guys on classroom patrol."

He ducked his head back down, and I scowled in his general direction before I followed Levy out the door. The blue-haired girl eyed me for a moment, before shaking her head.

"What?" I asked in frustration.

"I cannot believe you've fallen in love with your childhood friend."

I tied my hair into a ponytail, then – trying to be straightforward – I spluttered, "Well, why can't I?"

Levy wrinkled her brow, pulling out a jawbreaker from her right pocket. She popped it into her mouth after having it rejected by me. "Well, 'childhood friend' is a really old relationship, you know? It's hard to see pass that for most people."

Thinking back on Natsu's denseness, I couldn't help but agree. My lower lip quivered in agony. "Well, yeah, I can't argue with that. But your crush is hard to get, too. I mean, Gajeel is so…prickly."

My friend waggled her finger at me, her lips pulling down into a soft frown. "First of all, he's not a cactus; second of all, I do _not like him._

"Then…why do you defend him first?"

Levy groaned as I giggled. We turned sharply around a corner as we met the locker room door; reluctantly, we pulled it open, and stared in shock at the musty lockers, the slightly moldy benches, and the floor littered with gum wrappers and…well, gum.

"For a place where the floor is where you put your bare feet for a few minutes on…it's sooo disgusting," Levy moaned, nudging what looked like a half-eaten chocolate bar with her toe. I bent down to get a closer look at it, then stood up immediately when it quivered slightly.

"Maybe," I said, gulping, "we should get started."

I grabbed a broom from the corner of the room, and screamed as a blanket of cobwebs fell around my face and arms. Levy stared on as I hopped around, smashing the might-have-been-chocolate-candy-bar, wiping off some bench-mold with my pants, and slamming into the lockers. She finally sighed as I stopped, falling to the floor in a reproachful heap.

"This is going to take some time."

* * *

"That was horrible," Levy groaned as she rubbed her arm. I glanced at her, and smiled when I saw a patch of dirt on her face.

"You've got something right there."

She clapped her hand to her face and rubbed, but she only succeeded in smudging the mark. "There. Better?"

"I think you _better_ go to the bathroom to wash it off."

She sighed, crossing her arms moodily. "No way. We've wasted enough time as it is."

I laughed as we made our way back to the classroom. When we got there, I reached out to take the handle, but Levy stopped me abruptly.

"What-?"

"Shh!" she hissed through her teeth, and I obliged. Inside the classroom, I could hear the muttering of the boys.

"Did you hear something?"

"Nah. Gray, you're being too paranoid."

Carefully, the two of us looked through a crack in the door to see what was going on.

"I swear I heard something," Gray was saying. His shirt had mysteriously gone somewhere, and so had his pants.

"Who should be next after her?" asked Droy, his arms crossed thoughtfully. Natsu was sitting at a desk, slouched, and biting a pencil at the eraser.

"Who have we got so far?" Jet queried, coming over to see the paper. Natsu looked down and said, "First is Mirajane, then Yume, next is Haruka, after that is Sakura, and then it's Yae, after her it's Levy, then Cana, Wendy, Carla, Sachi, Aiko, Nana, Nene, Rio, Shion, and Misaki."

"That's perfect!" Lyon drawled, his eyebrows knit together in careful concentration, "Mira is definitely the prettiest in the whole class."

"They're ranking girls," Levy whispered under her breath in disgust. I had become completely still, not allowing myself to think about what had just happened.

"Hey, didn't we leave Lucy out?" Grasy asked, smirking. I clenched my teeth at his attitude.

"Oh," Natsu said absentmindedly, "So then she goes at the very bottom."

The boys around him started to laugh. Jet wiped his eyes and said, "I can't believe you left your very own childhood friend out."

The pink-headed boy wrinkled his nose. "You can't blame me. Luce isn't _that _pretty. I mean…she hasn't gotten any of _those _even though all the other girls have."

At the word 'those', Natsu lifted his hands to his chest and made a curving gesture – up, curve, down. I felt my face go hot with embarrassment as it was mentioned.

"Mira's is like…" he continued, "_huge."_

Before Levy could stop me, I slammed the door open, my face alight with fury. All the boys whirled around to face me, their laughing expressions frozen on their faces.

I marched towards my desk, grabbed my pack, and turned towards them with disgust written all over my face. As I walked to them, they cringed away; only Natsu stayed where he was at, chomping on a Pocky stick nonchalantly. He was spinning his pencil with his right hand, and as he looked at my face, he actually _smiled. _That dumb idiot actually _smiled!_

"Yo, Luce," he said, lifting his hand in greeting. "Did you eavesdrop on our conversation?"

His eyes slid downward until they rested...you know, that place under my chin but above my stomach.

"Maybe now you could take a hint, and try to drink more milk?"

I ground my teeth together, grabbed the paper on his desk, and ripped it in half, quarters, microscopic pieces, until the names written out on it disappeared.

"Natsu Dragneel," I growled, "You are probably the stupidest person alive to mess with a member of the Heartfilia family."

As I said so, I brought my fist crashing into the underside of his jaw. His chair rocked backward, and he crashed into the floor, where he lay there looking up at me incredulously.

"Just so you know, you'd be at the bottom of the girls' class ranking list too, you freakin' ugly flamebrain!"

I stormed out of the room, with Levy trailing behind me. All I could really remember was the raucous laughing of the boys as Natsu called after me from down the corridor.

* * *

"Lucy, honey," Layla called, opening my bedroom door. "Natsu's here to see you."

"Tell him I've gone to Alaska, or something."

"That doesn't exactly work when I've heard you speak."

I groaned as Natsu entered my room, and Mother left us to ourselves. I was seated at my desk, my back turned to him, and I made no effort to turn around.

"Luce, look at me."

I did not heed, but continued in my mission to complete my weekend homework.

"Luce…c'mon, don't be mad."

I slammed my pencil down on the desktop, and whirled my chair around, opening my mouth to scream, "Don't be mad!?" but stopped abruptly when I got a face full of flowers – _roses, _to be more specific.

"What the-?"

"You like them, don't you?" Natsu asked me, shoving the bouquet into my hands. I peered above the multitude of flowers to peer at the boy. He had his back turned to me, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"I heard your mom saying that you do…"

I didn't say anything in return; I only kept staring at him.

"Luce, don't be mad at me. I'm sorry about earlier…actually…" he turned, revealing a bandage where I had punched him earlier, "…and I'm only saying this once, Luce!"

He hesitated, then said, "I actually think you're really pretty."

My mouth fell open, and his cheeks went red; he spluttered, "Well you know…not like a guy finds a girl hot, but like a friend finds another friend not bad-looking!"

I fingered a rose petal, sighing. What Natsu had just said to me would be the closest thing to a romantic line he could utter. I smiled at him, standing up, and gesturing towards the open bedroom door.

"Want to head down for some cookies?"

Natsu looked at me before breaking into a grin, "Yeah."

To be mad at Natsu, hit him, and then forgive him…was just another one of those daily things.

Diary Page 24:

_While that was the closest thing to a romantic line Natsu would ever say to me, this kind of thing would not apply to someone else a year later…_

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**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Now that I've fully finished their naive childhood days, I'm finally going into the heartbreak and dramatic happenings! Hooray! Thanks for those who have stuck throughout the slow process of these last chapters!**


	5. Chapter 5: Seventh Grade Part 1

**Thank you for ALLLLL of you who reviewed! You make me SOOO happy! :'D! Warning: There are some censored, but still cuss words in this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

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**Prologue Chapter Five: Seventh Grade**

I rang the doorbell, my heart pounding as I stood on the house steps. Footsteps resounded from behind the door to Natsu's house, and I clenched my schoolbag fearfully. The door opened…

"Oh, Lucy," Igneel mumbled, dressed in his usual boxers and tank top. "Natsu's upstairs."

Swallowing my disappointment, I smiled, "Oh, thanks."

I stepped into the house, my breath quickening as I mounted the stairs to Natsu's room. First door on the right, I remembered, my hands shaking as I reached for the doorknob. I swung the door open, and peered in slowly.

Natsu was standing in front of a mirror, pulling on a shirt. I gave a strangled yelp, and shut the door loudly, the image of Natsu burning in my eyes. His well-toned muscles from hard hours of practicing baseball…

I shook my head vigorously, ridding myself of the image before I opened the door again.

"Hey, Luce," he said, this time pulling on his black outer jacket to his junior high uniform. He left it unbuttoned and looked at me, his face neutral. Natsu's eyes barely skimmed over me, and he nodded at me, indicating my uniform (a sailor one consisting of a blue skirt and red ribbon), "That looks good on you."

Despite the meaningless comment, I felt my face grow hot.

"You're finally growing," he said slapping his hand to his chest, and his facial expression didn't even twitch as I scowled at him.

I had noticed that from a few months before.

Natsu barely smiled anymore, and he seemed to lose his sense of humor when he was around me. A bored look would glaze over his eyes, one of extreme exhaustion.

"Congratulations on getting into the baseball club," I said, clasping my hands behind my back.

"Oh, yeah. Congrats on getting into the tennis club."

His voice was flat, and he brushed past me, not even looking into my eyes as he dished out the compliment. I followed him as he trundled downstairs.

"See you, Igneel," he called, and opened the front door.

"You're not going to eat?" I asked him as he shut the door behind me. He looked into my eyes for the first time, his stare intense.

"You have something for me, right?"

I felt hot as I dragged out a piece of bread covered with honey out of my bag. It was wrapped in a tissue, and as Natsu took it from me, his hand brushed mine slightly. As we began to walk out of his yard, he ate it, his cheek bulging as the bread filled a pocket of emptiness.

Natsu had matured far more than I had. The aura around him seemed intense, mature – the very thing the girls at school raved about during the last few days of sixth grade. Now, as we headed to junior high, I felt almost certain he would rise to popularity again. Adored, fan-girled over, clung to. As he slung his bag over his shoulder casually, I couldn't help but let that fanatical love wash over me as well. Natsu, the baseball star, the onyx-eyed, pink-haired, "absolutely hot" boy – if you made eye contact with him, he kept it until you looked away, and he only smiled at you if you smiled at him first. He would only say hello to you if you said hello first, he would only take notice of you if you got him to notice you. Otherwise, he'd traipse down the hallway, baseball bat and all, completely oblivious to your hot stare.

But I knew a side to him that most girls didn't. His soft side, his gentle side, his annoying, funny side – the part of him that relaxed. Not that I've seen much of it over these past few months, though.

"Natsu!" Gray's voice rang out from the right. Natsu turned, waving as the black-haired boy drew closer.

"Yo!" Gray greeted, and nodded towards me slightly. "Baseball club's gonna be a heck lot of awesome, don't you think?"

"I heard that there's this senpai there that dominates hitting the curve ball!" Natsu agreed, pumping his fist into the air. I had become a background object again – something that was there, but not paid any attention to.

"Lucy!"

Levy's hand came down on my back quickly, and I looked at her unenthusiastically.

She gave me a knowing look. "Let's catch up to them."

She grabbed my hand and pulled me ahead, until I was standing right beside Natsu. His closeness made me want to pull away from him, but he barely noticed my presence right next to him.

"You don't seem that excited to start junior high, Natsu," I offered to him as a conversation starter.

He glanced at me, and then looked straight ahead. "There's no one new to look forward to."

"I bet you'll meet some new people in your baseball club."

"No," he shook his head, "I mean, _girls."_

Levy shook her head. "So even Natsu Dragneel, the prince of popularity, worries about romance?"

He shrugged, his hair rustling in the faint breeze. As we rounded the corner, the sudden sound of dozens of middle school students chattering filled the air, and the breeze grew stronger. A flurry of cherry blossoms, each petal fat and vibrantly pink, flew into our line of vision. A blizzard of sakura flowers, signifying the spring, the start of the year.

"Hey Natsu," I said, "Will we be going to the cherry blossom viewing together again?"

I looked to him, expecting for a toneless answer to come from his mouth, but he wasn't even looking at me. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes sparkling. I turned my head to see – to see what he was looking at. The storm of cherry petals was dissipating, and through the gaps of the deep pink colors, I could see a girl of our age, walking with her friends to the board up front, which would tell her what class she was in.

Her hair was pure white, and was long, stopping right at her waist. The breeze played with her hair, twisting the strands around her shoulders, about her face. As she moved her head slightly to brush it away, her eyes were revealed a bit – blue. The uniform contoured to her body, the shirt just a little loose; her arms and legs could have belonged to a model's, and her flawless, milk white skin stood out in the courtyard. She was beautiful.

"She's cute," Natsu muttered under his breath, but I heard him. And those two little words – which could have been _so _insignificant – were suddenly very important.

Natsu – baseball star Natsu, cool Natsu, emotionless Natsu, pokerface Natsu – never, ever said a girl was cute. His eyes would brush over the tons of females surrounding him, take in their presence, but never actually acknowledge their physical looks.

"What was that?" Gray asked loudly, but Natsu only shook his head.

He gave a shrug. "Nothing."

A voice boomed out in the yard.

"First years! Come into the auditorium for the entrance ceremony! You may see what class you are in later!"

Natsu ripped his gaze away from the girl, and began to walk towards the auditorium doors. I cocked my head in irritation, and began to follow, dragging my tennis bag huffily.

It was cool indoors, and bubbling with chatter. Girls ran up to girls, shaking each other's hands, and laughing as they reunited with old friends. Guys clapped each other on the back, congratulating on sports clubs entries, or new summer girlfriends, and pointing out the cute girls.

"Natsu-san!" an orange-haired girl squealed, her manicured finger pointing to the pink-haired boy. He nodded to her, but didn't smile. He continued making his way to some seats, unaware that a bunch of girlish whispers were surrounding him as he did so.

"Isn't that guy cute?"

"He's sooo hot!"

"He's in the baseball club!"

"I wonder what his name is!"

Natsu sat down, and a platinum blonde caught his gaze. He kept his eye contact with her, until she broke away, embarrassed and blushing.

"Why do you always end up being the freaking heartthrob?" Gray groaned, settling into a seat beside him.

I took the seat behind Natsu, and Levy fell into the one next to me. I watched the back of Natsu's head, gazing at it intensely as everyone filed into the rows of chairs.

A group of girls sitting in front of Natsu kept glancing back at him, giggling and whispering fiercely. He ignored them – or more likely, he didn't even notice them – and stared as a tall boy with glasses walked onto the stage. He faced the first-year audience, and spoke into the microphone installed into the podium in front of him.

"Hello, everyone, I am Tetsushi Megane, and I am your student council vice president-"

"And I'm your student council president!" a girl, with wavy brown hair, interjected, popping up from behind the podium.

Megane-kun's face took on a troubled look as he continued," Oh, President…so you've decided to give the welcoming speech after all?"

"Of course!" the girl trilled, her face pleasant, "my name's Rin Tachibana, and I'm two years older than all of you!"

She looked out at the crowd, who was more interested in her unusual chipper attitude than her words.

"I'm supposed to tell all of you guys to be more responsible, and to follow the rules, and all that boring bunch of stuff…but I want to tell you guys to have some fun1 You're going to spend three years of your life here, so you should enjoy it to the fullest!"

"Oh! And did I mention there's a first year among you guys who got into the student council?! He got to be the treasurer! And he's SUPER hot!" Rin pointed her fingers to the part of the crowd where a majority of the girls were. "Just tellin' you ladies now. His name starts with…a T? I'm not even sure."

"His name's Taiga Matsumura, President," Tetsushi-kun sighed, adjusting the glasses on his face.

"Right! Right! I totally knew that, you know!?"

Something told me she didn't really know that. Maybe I'm a Super Genius or something.

"And, he's right here!"

A red-haired boy walked onto the stage, the black jacket of his uniform pulled up and his hands shoved into his pockets. He looked warily at the crowd before him, and finally lifted his head…and smiled.

An immediate whispering rang out from the girls gathered in the room.

"Looks like you're not the only guy who's going to get all the ladies this year," Gray whispered to Natsu.

The pink-headed boy pushed his friend, who rammed into the person next to him. The 'person next to him' was a scarlet-haired girl who glared at him disapprovingly before turning back to the speech on stage.

I, however, zoned out…so I can't say much on whatever Rin said next.

I was glad when it was finally time to leave and head for our classes (mostly because I wanted to find out if I was in the same class with you-know-who or not). As soon as we stood up, though, Natsu was washed away by the crowd. He was separated from Gray, and I purposefully separated myself from Levy as I tried to catch up to him.

He moved with so much grace that he was getting through the gathering easily. I, on the other hand, suffocated as I tried to make my way through tons and tons of people crowded closely together. Finally, Natsu and I reached the doorway (or, more accurately, he reached the doorway, and I was a few steps behind him.

Just at that moment, I saw her…that long, white-haired girl from this morning, standing at the exit of the auditorium as well. She was laughing with her friends as one of them – who had long, wavy brown hair – said something hilarious. I could see Natsu – aware of her, but trying not to be – just behind her, close enough that if she turned, she'd be directly in front of him.

And then…my phone, from the interior of my school bag, vibrated with a new text message – probably Levy with a million cuss words to throw at me for abandoning her on purpose. The White-Haired Girl suddenly jumped, and turned towards her own bag, muttering, "Was that my cell? I thought I turned it off."

Natsu, who hadn't expected for this to happen, walked right into her, and she dropped her pack to the ground, where the things inside clattered noisily.

"Oh, sorry," he muttered, and the girl shook her head.

She smiled. "Nah. It was my fault."

Natsu ignored her, and bent to pick up her bag. He stood up, and handed it over to her.

"Lisanna! He's SOOO hot," the brown-headed girl next to her whispered unsuccessfully.

"Cana!" the girl snapped.

Natsu looked at them quizzically, before he smiled. He pointed at the girl, and said, "Lisanna…? That uniform suits you. You look cute in it."

And then he pushed past her, and walked away.

Natsu, the Natsu who never smiles at anyone until they smile first, actually smiled at someone first…

I flipped open my phone to text, but not to Levy…to Natsu…because I had lost him.

[LucyHeart: Where r u?]

[SummerEqualsNatsu: y]

[LucyHeart: We ALWAYS look at the class board 2gether, remember?]

[SummerEqualsNatsu: Guess so.]

[LucyHeart: So?]

[SummerEqualsNatsu: ?]

I was getting tired of his none-one-two word texts. I ran my hand over my face in exasperation.

[LucyHeart: Where are u?]

[SummerEqualsNatsu: Heading 2 class.]

I considered typing in a few "naughty" words, and telling him to review our conversation just now, but decided against it. I pocketed my phone into my the outermost pocket of my bag, and pushed through thousands of people to finally view what class I was in.

I dropped down to the H's of the class labeled Class 1 – D.

Lucy Heartfilia.

Then, I went up to the D's on the same exact Class 1 –D list. No Natsu, no Dragneel = no Natsu.

I then checked the M's.

No Levy, either.

So basically, I was going to be a loner in class this year.

I felt my phone vibrate like a spazzed out creature. Reluctantly, I pulled it out and flipped it open to view the received message.

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: Nice job leaving me you *****!]

[LucyHeart: Sorry. Ur not in my class, this year :C]

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: I know. Already checked. Natsu's in my class, though. Not that I care, much.]

[LucyHeart: Really? Who else?]

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: There's Mira, and this girl who looks a lot like her. Cousins…at least that's what she says. Um…]

My breath caught in my throat. 'Um' in Levy's case was never a good pretense.

[LucyHeart: What is it? Something wrong?]

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: Natsu seems mildly interested in that cousin of Mira's.]

A bad feeling was beginning to crawl into my stomach. My thumbs trembled so much that I almost couldn't type back a reply.

[LucyHeart: What's her name?]

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: I think it's Lisanna.]

I was beginning to feel like I was dying from asphyxiation. But I managed to ask my next query.

[LucyHeart: What class r u in?]

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: 1 – A]

A teacher walked past me as I squeezed out of the crowd to head to my class. She had purple hair and a smiley face; her nametag read KINANA.

"Phone away, please," she sang, before surveying the other students.

I hurried away, practically throwing my phone into my bag as I hurried off to class.

One thing I was pretty sure of: Class 1- D was far from Class 1- A.

There isn't anyone I know in my new class, which snuffs out my excitement for this year. I've never been much of a socializing kind of person. It was a miracle I even befriended Levy with my personality. So when I walked into the noisy classroom, I felt immediately discouraged when I saw the groups of cliques everywhere. I recognized the categories immediately: the Sport Boys, the Pretty Girls, the Nerds, the Bookworms, the Weirdos, the Class Clowns…

Everyone seemed to know each other as well. I stood there for a few moments, unsure of what to do.

"Are you going to move from the doorway, or what?" said a smooth voice from behind me. I jumped, whirling around to face a redheaded, red-eyed boy, who adorned the uniform's black jacket over a white sweater. His school bag was slung over his shoulder, and he didn't fell particularly happy that I was in the way.

"S-sorry," I stammered, backing away slightly.

"Taiga!" a boy from the Sports Group called out, waving the new Student Council Treasurer over.

"Yo, Daichi," Matsumura-kun greeted, sauntering over to where his friend stood casually.

"That's Taiga Matsumura," a girl with pink hair whispered to her friend needlessly. "He's SO hot!"

He walked past her obliviously, apparently deciding that he was deaf to whatever she had to say. He fist-bumped a couple guys, and went on with his usual life - or I guess it's his usual life.

I went over to the chalkboard – I'm thinking the schools should probably upgrade that sooner or later, or we'll all be dying from chalk dust – and viewed what seat I was supposed to be in. The seat by the window. Perfect.

I went over to that one, and plopped down, ready to text Levy…or maybe Natsu...a message, when someone bumped into me from behind. Then, I felt something cold, wet, and suspiciously sticky trickle down my back. A couple of giggles, gasps, snickers…before I dared turn around.

Taiga was staring at me open-mouthed, a box of orange juice in his right hand. Some of it was trickling out the straw, and I could already tell what had happened. He looked me in the eyes, straightened up and closed his mouth, and shrugged.

"It'll come out. You have a knack for getting into the way of things, huh?"

I was left speechless. What – how was I supposed to respond to that?

If I was Levy: "Look you *****! You're gonna lend me that f****** shirt of yours so I can WEAR it. Then you're gonna take MY shirt and use your s*** money to take it to the DRY CLEANERS to CLEAN it! Now hurry up before I take the juice box in your hands and SHOVE it up your STUPID A**!"

If I was someone like Mirajane: Smile and say, "It's alright." Get an immediate apology because she's so darn cute.

If I was Gray: "It's okay. I like to strip anyways." (Well, maybe not in those EXACT words but something like that.)

If I was Natsu: Stare at him with a complete pokerface with no intentions at all until all the girls joined on my side, and demanded for Taiga Matsumura to do something about it.

If I was anyone else but me: Yell at him, demand him to do something about it, and leave satisfied.

What I wanted to do: Give him a Jackie-Chan-style roundhouse kick, knee him in the stomach a few times, then give him a Street-Fighter-esque uppercut a few times, and then say, "It's all right. We're cool."

What I ACTUALLY did: "U-um, I-I, u-uh, I gotta go…!"

And I ran out of the room. I swear that I'm not lying.

* * *

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: Heeeeey. Luuuce. The Class 1-D teacher kinda ran into our class and panicked about something like…I don't know, "LUCY HEARTFILIA IS MISSING! I THINK SHE'S BEEN KIDNAPPED! I'm not convinced. So where the heck are you!?]

I didn't answer, but only sat silently in the bathroom stall some more. The juice had dried up, and had left me sticky, and my face was hot and red from embarrassment. I was surprise I had remembered to haul my stuff with me at all when I left.

My phone vibrated again. I checked the message despite the fact that I wasn't going to answer it.

I nearly had a heart attack.

[SummerEqualsNatsu: Where r u?]

I debated on whether to tell him or not. Finally, I decided.

[LucyHeart: In the second floor girls' bathroom]

No reply. I felt myself sorely wishing that he was going to come rescue me, but it was long shot. My head lifted when I heard the door squeak open, and I almost called out his name when…

"F***, Lucy get your ass out here!"

Not Natsu. Levy.

I reluctantly obeyed, and unlocked the bathroom door. The little, petite blunette, who indeed looked like the very definition of innocence, was in her most murderous mood.

She glared at me, her fingers drumming at her thighs. "First of all…you b****, how dare you abandon me at the entrance ceremony, and second of all, WHY'D YOU TELL FREAKING NATSU WHERE YOU WERE AND NOT ME!?"

I looked down, scuffing the toe of my shoe on the ground. "Uh, yeah…"

"Come here," she told me, and grabbed me by the collar. She looked at the stain on the back of my shirt. "Natsu told me to come here…he wasn't in the mood to go into a girls' bathroom, and he was hitting it off really well with our classmates. Especially the girls. And he said he was sure there was going to be nobody new, pffft."

"Le-vy!" I wailed, pulling away from her grip. She cross her arms, and looked at me moodily.

"That's for abandoning me…twice."

"All right already, I'm _sorry."_

"That's more like it. Now, Lucy, grab your gym shirt from your bag, all right?"

I did as she told me, and held the shirt up curiously.

"Put it on, Blondie. Didn't you think of that?"

No, I had not thought of that.

I retreated back into a bathroom stall, and changed my shirt; after I was done, I stuffed my ruined uniform top into my bag, and exited the bathroom with Levy.

"All right, so tell me the name of this person who did this to you," Levy demanded, her mouth twitching with anger.

"No, it's all right. I don't think you want to get in a fight with the treasurer…"

"Taiga Matsumura!? He's the one who did this!? Oh, I knew there was something about that flawless face that just screamed DOOM!"

"It's okay, Levy. Everything is fine, now."

"Uh, in case you haven't noticed, you're carrying half of your uniform – which you haven't for even one whole day yet – in your school bag, and you were thought to be the victim of a kidnapping…so, no, Lucy Heartfilia, it's NOT all right."

"I'll straighten everything out, somehow."

"Yeah…by letting me give a good old, Chuck-Norris-style punch to Taiga Matsumura's face."

"Uh…no. Let's try to solve this without breaking someone's nose, okay?"

We had reached my classroom, where Levy angrily bade me good-bye, and ran back to Class 1-A. When I slid open the door, a purple-haired woman nearly pounced on me.

"Are you Lucy Heartfilia?" she asked in a panicked voice.

"Y-yes."

"Oh, that's good then."

The lady shrank back, smoothing back her wild, purple hair. "So the principal was right, after all. It wasn't a kidnapping."

I read the teacher's nametag; she looked vaguely familiar. Miss Kinana. Of course, the one who had told me to put my phone away.

"Uh, if you please, Heartfilia, could you go back to your seat?"

I oblige, but stiffen when I see that Taiga Matsumura – his last name definitely doesn't start with an "H" or an "I" – sitting in the chair behind me.

"I hope you don't mind that I've placed him in the seat behind you, Lucy? He was talking too much in the seat he was in before."

"Of course, not, teacher."

I sat down, waiting to be teased by the STUPID, UNBELIEVEABLE, but apparently smart boy behind me. But he didn't bother me. He didn't even make a move to acknowledge that the girl he had spilled his beverage all over had just entered the room in an entirely different shirt.

What a jerk.

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**Yes, I made Levy kind of like Edo-Levy in this one...it was fun to make her into a moody and violent teenager! :D Hope you review :DD**


	6. Chapter 6: Seventh Grade Part 2

**I'm so happy that so many of you guys like this story! And I hope you guys all like Taiga as well!**

**Here's cheers to another chapter!**

**Oh, and there are some cuss words in this chapter, as well. Sorry to those of you who hate profanity!**

**Disclaimer: I Do not own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

**Prologue Chapter Six: Seventh Grade (Part 2)**

"Class dismissed."

The bell rang as Miss Kinana said the two words.

Friday.

Equals freedom, weekend, and…Natsu.

It was already the tenth week of school, and so far, everything had been grey and monotonous.

Except for one thing.

Natsu became friends with Lisanna Strauss, and they were best friends…they shared CDs, lent books, talked, laughed.

Right, so yeah.

A hand grabbed onto my shoulder as I tried to leave. I turned and met face-to-face with Erza Scarlet, one of the girls in my class. Scary, loveable, strawberry-cake-eating Erza. She was one of Levy and mine's closest friends, now. She's really kind…

A boy threw a crumpled paper ball and it missed the trash can by an inch. He made no move to try to grab it and correctly place it in the waste bin.

"Hey, you piece of crap! You going to litter and freaking choke this classroom up with your STUPID trash, or are you going to pick that up so that I don't have to choke YOU!?"

The boy retreated, and threw away his paper. Erza huffed and smiled at me. "Boys."

I smiled weakly back.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" she asked, going back to gather up the books she had not been able to get. According to her, she had been in a rush to try to get me to wait for her. She looked towards the window, and spotted the baseball club down below, practicing their swings and hits. "Ooooh."

I blushed, running my hand through my hair. "I've been a little on edge ever since I found out Lisanna's the baseball club's manager."

"You sound SO possessive of little Natsu, said a voice behind me. I jumped and broke out into a cold sweat as Levy appeared behind me. "What's up, girls? Were you gonna leave me, or wait for me?"

Erza tsked, shaking her finger slowly, "'Gonna' isn't a word, Levy."

"Shaddup, Erza."

"You wanna say that, again, twerp?"

"Think I do."

Surprisingly, Erza and Levy make a good match.

I uttered a small sigh. "Let's go, you two. Today's the only day tennis practice is off for me."

Still scowling each other, they exited the classroom with me.

"So, have you ever even TALKED to Lisanna, Lucy?" Levy asked me, toting her bag as if it were the heaviest thing in the world.

"No, not really. She seems really nice, though. I guess I'll try to, today."

Erza rubbed her nose, and said, "I hope she's not one of those bitchy girls like in all those other cliché stories."

Levy laughed out loud. "Everything's not going to be a shoujo manga, Erza."

"Love would be so easy if it were," the redhead replied back.

I silently agreed. If everything was going like a normal comic book, the childhood friends would have already been in love with each other. Something along the lines of: loving you, but too shy to show it. Real life was a WORLD away from the things that happened in love stories.

We finally arrived at the baseball field, where a chain-link fence separated us from the junior high baseball team. My eyes automatically started to search for Natsu, whose pink hair – or SALMON, he might say – would give him away.

Levy nudged me in the side, and I looked towards her. She nodded her head at something in the distance.

Near the benches, Natsu was standing with Lisanna herself; both of them were laughing at something unknown. My mouth went completely dry as I called, "Natsuuuu!"

He looked up, and looked towards my direction. He exchanged a few good-byes with Lisanna and trotted up to the fence. Natsu smiled at me.

And this in the part where you go, "Oh wow! He smiled at her! YOU HEAR THAT EVERYONE, he SMILED at her!"

That was my same reaction the first time he did that. But unfortunately, it's not because of me that he's suddenly started moving away from his cold, emotionless act, it was because of Lisanna. Ever since he had met her, he had been getting livelier and more cheerful. He would talk more, eat more, and smile more.

A part of me is happy for this, and a part of me– that I'm a bit ashamed of – is upset.

"Tennis club's taking a break?" he inquired, and I nodded.

"What are you guys doing today?"

Natsu looked towards the other guys, and shrugged. "I don't know. I already finished all my swings. The senpais are trying to make practice as hard as possible for the first-years."

I smiled, and pointed at Lisanna. "So I've heard she's your best friend? She's so pretty, Natsu. You guys suit each other."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Levy and Erza give me a death glare.

Levy mouthed, "You've just dug your own freaking grave."

Erza took her index finger and dragged it across her throat.

I ignored their violence.

Natsu scratched his head, trying to inconspicuously glance back at the white-haired girl. "You think? Everyone keeps asking if we're dating…but I don't really look at Lisanna that way, you know?"

"I wouldn't tell that to White Hair, stupid," Levy snorted, brushing back a stray strand of hair. Erza elbowed her in her ribs, which Levy responded to with a punch.

The boy took his baseball bat and began to drag it across the ground, writing something in the dirt. When he had finished, he looked up again, gesturing for me to look down on the ground.

"LUCY" was scrawled out messily.

Natsu gave a reckless smile, "Remember when we played baseball a few years back, Luce?"

Luce. He just actually called me Luce. It had been forever-

Okay, now you may freak out…because to be honest, inside, I'm freaking out, too.

"Yeah…" my voice faltered as a tall boy with messy black hair called out to Natsu.

"Hey, Dragneel, get your ass back here!"

He rolled his eyes, and gave me a last smile before saying, "I gotta go. The KING is calling…"

I waved at him unceremoniously as he departed, watching as he laughed with his senpai.

Finally, I noticed Lisanna, making her way back to the chain link fence, and standing there by herself, alone.

I hesitated a moment, before clearing my throat and yelling, "Lisanna!"

She turned her head slightly, but even that little movement made her ethereal beauty shine. Her white, lone locks draped themselves about her shoulder as she blinked at me. Her eyelids lowered for a moment as she tried to remember if she knew who I was or not.

I grinned at her. "Don't worry. It's our first time talking."

Her eyelids fluttered for a moment before she gave a dazzling smile in return. "Oh…it's just…I didn't want to offend you if I DID know you…"

I gestured for her to come closer; she obliged, but did so warily.

"Why are you acting like a damn deer?" Levy scoffed. "Hurry your ass up, or the practice is going to be over before you get here."

Lisanna flinched. Erza waved off Levy's behavior.

"Don't mind her. She's like that to everyone."

The white-haired beauty smiled again. "Oh?"

She came over until she was right in front of me. We stared at each other until she broke the silence.

"Um…how did you know my name?"

"I heard someone call to you during the entrance ceremony…and you're Natsu's best friend, right?"

"Well, I guess…"

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu's childhood friend. Great to meet you."

She smiled back, but before she could say anything, cheers rang out from the field.

I watched as Natsu stood in an already-batted stance. The white baseball was sipping through the sky in a wide arc, soaring over the fence on the other side.

My eyes darted back to Lisanna, who was staring at the scene open-mouthed.

Although I tried to stop it from coming, my heart gave out a pang of jealousy.

"Natsu's mine!" I wanted to growl, but I kept my mouth closed.

"Um, I think I'll go get a drink," I said, and the white-haired girl flashed me a grin.

"Oh, okay."

Levy and Erza made a move to follow me.

"You two just stay here. I'll be right back."

I trotted off to where I knew the closest vending machines were. I pulled my wallet from my bag as I rounded the corner. The vending machine had assortments of beverages, but I chose the one that was the least expensive.

Orange juice.

That brought back unpleasant memories.

And so did the…GUY WHO WAS SLEEPING RIGHT NEXT TO THE VENDING MACHINE!?

Taiga Matsumura…sitting to the side dozing when he should be at the student council room. Before I could even think about what I was doing, I crouched down next to him, and stared at his sleeping face.

His red hair was draped over his eyes, and his mouth was parted open a bit. The school's gakuran fit him perfectly, I could tell, and his well-toned muscles stood out even under the long, black sleeves.

He looked totally different from the boy who had caused my first, stressful day of school.

I was so enraptured by his peacefulness that I didn't give a second thought about what I did next.

I prodded his cheek.

Immediately, he woke up, springing up from the wall he was leaning against and ramming right into my head. I backed up from him, fondling my forehead as it cried out in pain, and he grabbed his.

Taiga rubbed the spot where he had bumped into me for a few moments before he looked up at me in irritation. His mouth turned down into a frown, but even that didn't mar his good looks. He ran his hand through his bangs to push them out of the way, and glared at me intensely. His burning stare made my face go hot in embarrassment.

I had just woken up the person who had humiliated me. Was there any other person who was stupider than I was?

"Lucy Heartfilia," he grouched, "Are you always in other people's way, or what?"

"Y-you know my name?" I asked (for some reason, I was flustered).

"Why wouldn't I? You sit in the seat that's freakin' right in front of me."

He stood up, dusting off his pants in annoyance. I stood up as well, clutching my box of orange juice and hoping he wouldn't notice it.

"Is that orange juice?"

Oh…

"Are you an idiot or what?" he asked, smirking. His hair fell over his face again, but that only enhanced his looks even more. His shirt was unbuttoned on top, and I could see a necklace adorning his neck.

I pointed at it, trembling. "Is that from your girlfriend?"

His smug look dropped, and for a second, hurt flashed across his eyes. But then his anger replaced it quickly.

"So what if it is? It's not as if you know anything about having a lover. I mean…just look at you."

My anger made my cheeks grow warm. I scowled at him, and crossed my hands over my chest. "Don't tell me your girlfriend broke up with you."

As soon as the words had left my mouth, I knew I had made a mistake. Before I could even scream or react, Taiga was driving me into the wall. Each of hands was placed on either side of my head, and his face was very, very close. Anger was plastered over his face like a Halloween mask.

Except this Halloween mask was extremely…hot and perfect-looking-anime-guy-like.

"So what if she did?" he asked me, mouth curving up into a smile, "But she didn't. _I_ broke up with _her_. She wasn't good enough for me…"

As he said the words, I could see pain and suffering pulsing under his outraged façade.

Before he could continue to talk, I asked him, "Did she cheat on you?"

His face froze.

So, yes, she HAD cheated on him.

So I was ri-

Before I could smile in triumph, something rammed into my face. My lips felt suddenly VERY, VERY hot. Something was pressing against them. It took me seconds before I realized it was TAIGA'S lips. He pulled back.

"Shut up," he whispered, stepping back. His hurt showed plainly on his face, now.

He still loved her. He still loved his girlfriend. And I had just blabbed my mouth on and on about it. To make me shut up, he had done the only thing that had crossed his mind. And I hated him for it, nonetheless.

Any normal girl would have slapped him. I guess that makes me abnormal.

I stood stock still, watching as the boy who took my first kiss stalk away.

* * *

When I returned to the baseball field, Levy and Erza shot me a worried look.

"Does it take that long just to get one case of juice?" Levy queried, her mouth pulling down into a frown. "What happened?"

"You missed a couple of Natsu's hits."

I pressed my palm against my forehead, and weakly smiled. "Uh…everything's alright."

"You look pale…um, Lucy."

I turned my head towards Lisanna, who was staring at me with concerned eyes. "Are you okay?"

I nodded at her. If she had been meaner, egotistical, and crueler, it would have been a lot easier to glare at her accusingly. But that wasn't my problem right now, was it?

She blinked, clearly not convinced of my reassurance. "Are you sick?"

"No."

A couple of cheers from the field snatched everyone's attention, and I let out a silent sigh as the spotlight was taken away from me. A memory of red hair and red eyes flashed before my vision, and a hot feeling spread on my lips. I cupped my mouth in my hands, and pushed away the sensation.

"Shut up."

The whisper of words sent my head reeling. If I had done what that boy had said a lot sooner, the chain of events that had followed my buying some orange juice would not have happened.

I poked my straw into the container, and stared at the artificial fruit on the package. If I really, really thought back to when Taiga had sprayed this very drink on me, I could make out a cell phone in his other hand.

If I had been a boy on the first day of junior high, and I had broken up with my girlfriend via text message because of her sly ways, I would have definitely squeezed that orange juice box in my other hand. So what if the beverage got on another person – like that blonde in that seat over there? At least she didn't have to go through this pain…at least she didn't have to end a relationship I didn't really want to end. Who cares if that girl will get mad at me, and will run out of the room in tears? The pain I'm feeling is much, much worse. Because I still love her, I still love that girl who betrayed me; even though everyone tells me it's wrong to still hold onto this feeling, I still love her.

Suddenly, I don't hate Taiga Matsumura anymore.

And I squeeze that box in my hand, watching as the juice arcs in the air and splashes onto the ground.

In the reflection of the puddle, I see Taiga's hurt eyes, and his heart being wrenched inside his chest.

Orange juice brings unpleasant memories for him, too, I bet.

* * *

"So, what's up, Luce?"

I stare at Natsu, blinking. We had separated from Lisanna, Levy, Era, and the other guys moments ago. We were in our own neighborhood now, heading for home.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "You look kind of down."

"I do?"

"Yeah. It's the weekend. Cheer up a bit, why don't you?"

"I'm not down…Natsu."

I just realized I was being a total jerk a while ago.

"You sure look like it."

I inhaled sharply. "Do all of you have to be so nosy?"

The pink-haired boy backed up, pushing his palms outward as if to fend me off. "Just worrying about you, Luce."

I avert my gaze. I know they're all trying to help me, but I can't help but feel annoyed. "It's my own problem. Don't get into it."

"Fine."

We walk in silence for a few moments. This had been the time I had been yearning for all week, but I felt horrible as I experienced it now. Why?

Two words – or rather…names.

Taiga Matsumura.

What could I do now? I was probably feet away from him, miles even, and he was probably still depressed from our conversation.

So, conclusion? I was a jerk. That's it. That's all everyone needs to know.

* * *

Saturday evening.

After a fun day of being with Natsu at his house (which we haven't done for quite a while), I'm running errands for my mother. The weekend was dwindling away, and as I rode my bike from the supermarket with bags full of leeks and whatnot, I couldn't help but breathe in the warm air around me.

Summer was upon us, and days of sweltering heat were sure to come. For now, I would just enjoy the slightly cool air the disappearing spring was leaving behind. My leg began to pedal faster and faster, until I had conjured up a nice breeze that lifted my hair off of my shoulders. I was going so fast that I almost fell off my back headfirst when I braked on the corner. Not far from me, Taiga Matsumura was in front of a pretty-looking girl with curly, long hair.

I backed up my bike, hiding behind a wall as the redheaded boy began to say something.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the girl, his voice cold and emotionless.

The girl stuttered, her voice strained with sadness. "I've come here to tell you that I've made a huge mistake…it's just that I couldn't stand being so far away from you so-"

"You chose to be unfaithful?"

The girl fell silent, and when she spoke again, she was choked up with tears. "Taiga…I love you so, so much. I want to get back together with you."

"You're lying. As long as I'm going to my junior high and you're going to yours, you'll keep cheating on me with that bastard."

A rustling of leaves from above frightened me.

A thud of feet on concrete tells me somebody has jumped down from the wall I was hiding against.

"Who are you calling a bastard, bastard?" an even, but slightly high-pitched voice says. It's not a pretty voice, and it grated against my ears.

"So, even when you're coming here to apologize to me and get back together with me, you bring the guy who you were cheating on me with?"

The girl doesn't answer.

"Don't talk to her like that," the grating voice growls – which sounds like a cat's cry of pain.

"Why shouldn't I? It's over between us, and yet she has enough nerve to bring her ass over here to try to tell me it wasn't her fault-"

Something cuts off Taiga into silence. Grating Voice's low tone somehow sends me the message that he has grabbed Taiga's collar.

"It wasn't. You don't deserve an innocent, gentle girl like Mayuka when you're so unloving and distant."

"All right then."

I blinked. How could Matsumura take that kind of talk…especially when it wasn't true?

"You barely texted her or called her, and when you finally do, it's so that you can break up with her."

"Okay then."

"You're a piece of sh*t, you know that? Sh*t like you won't ever get a girlfriend like Mayuka ever again. Scratch that, you won't ever get a _girlfriend _ ever again. You're just trash-!"

Now that was enough.

I sprang up from my hiding place and rushed out into the open, just as Grating Voice was winding up his fist.

"Stop, you piece of crap!" I shouted. The effect of my outburst was immediate. Grating Voice let go of Taiga's collar. Everyone's eyes were trained on me.

I was seething with anger. It was people like Grating Voice who really got onto my nerves (and Natsu's, as well…you know…not that it's important right now, but, ahem).

"You know who's the piece of sh*t?" I asked GV, "It's you…and would you shut up for just a moment? Your freakin' voice is giving me a f*****g headache. If you know that Matsumura didn't call or tect that b*tch over there, then you knew she had a boyfriend. But you made moves on her anyways, you sicko. Oh, and another thing. Taiga kissed me the other day…uh-huh. And you know why I don't mind? It's 'cause I was talking on and on about how I freakin' discovered that he broke it off with his girlfriend 'cause she cheated on him with another guy. He was just trying to shut me up."

"To go to such extremes to stop people from voicing his pain, he would do that to another girl he didn't even love. The first day of school, he got orange juice all over my shirt…he broke up with you that day, didn't he? He didn't care that he got my shirt messed up…because he just ended something with the one girl he truly loved."

I pointed at GV, approaching him with malice printed on my face. "You're just an idiot who thinks he's done something f*****g right. Taiga, give me your phone."

"Huh?" the boy asked, "There's no way-!"

"Give me your effing phone."

He obliged, muttering something about, "Women are seriously scary."

I grabbed it, and opened it to 'recent calls'.

"Here, pieces of trash," I said, thrusting the phone's screen into the two individuals' faces. "You call that not contacting her?"

There was a whole list of the calls Taiga had made to Mayuka, but none of them had been answered.

The girl looked at it, blinking.

"You knew about these calls, didn't you b*tch?" I asked her. "You just ignored them 'cause you wanted a reason for cheating on him. The truth was that you didn't like the idea of him going to another school, huh? You didn't like that he had chosen to abandon you. So in your selfish loneliness, you decided, 'Oh! I think I'll go and frolic with another guy', didn't you?"

Mayuka gulped.

So yes. I was right. She HAD thought that way.

"Mayuka…?" GV said softly.

"Daichi, let's just go."

"What? But-!"

"Let's go!"

Her irritated tone made "Daichi" flinch, and he obliged. Soon, they had disappeared on the horizon.

"That was….intense."

I turned to face Taiga, who was staring at me with a complex look. He held out his hand.

I returned his cellular to him.

He pocketed it, and continued to stare at me strangely.

Chewing my bottom lip, I said, "W-well…I guess I'll get going now…"

He made no move to stop me, and only continued to watch as I left.

Finally, when I reached the corner, he called, "Lucy!"

I looked back.

He was smiling warmly at me. "Thanks!"

I waved vaguely, "Uh…no p-prob."

He cocked his head, and smiled, his expression one of sincere gratitude. "In a way…I'm glad you're the one I kissed."

I blinked, and without saying good-bye, I biked home.

I had probably come off as a jerk to Grating Voice and Cheating Girl...but at least I wasn't known as the jerk to Taiga Matsumura anymore.

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**Thank you for reading this chcapter! And I'm sorry for the amount of profanity in it...Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Eighth Grade

**I'm so happy about all the reviews I got! And I'm overwhelmed by how many of you like Taiga! Thank you so MUCH! And for those constant reviewers, thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**TheBeastHunter:**** Although I live in America, I'm actually doing the grade system as it is in Japan. In Japanese grade systems, Preschool/ Day Care and Kindergarten is a separate building, Elementary school is from Grade 1-Grade 6, junior high is 7th grade – 9****th**** grade (but they call it years, so 7****th**** grade would equal first year, 8****th**** would be second year, and ninth would be third year), and high school is tenth to twelfth grade (but they call it years as well – 10****th**** = 1****st**** year, and so on). Hope that helped! :D**

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**Prologue Chapter Seven: Eighth Grade **

Soon, the weather cooled, and then warmed, and then cooled as we reached the winter of our eighth grade year.

Somehow, I ended up in a separate class from Levy, Erza, Lisanna, Natsu, and even Taiga.

It was a pretty lonesome year for me, but I managed to endure it.

After my little fiasco with Taiga's ex-girlfriend, every girl discovered Taiga was SINGLE, and his popularity had shot up, and every single day, his shoe locker was brimming with love letters, just like Natsu's. So our school decided to split off into two factions: the Red VS. the Pink.

Natsu Dragneel's die-hard fangirls and Taiga's live-or-die fangirls were totally vicious, so not every female in our school's population decided to join a group. I decided to stay out of it. Because I would like to keep my eyes and face intact, thank you very much.

But, anyways, eighth grade was the second most important year of junior high. Why?

Three names: Lisanna. Natsu. Taiga.

And it starts off with a fairly cold day.

The school bell had rung, signaling the end of the day, and as the students crowded out the classroom doors, everyone groaned at the sight of the pouring rain. Most people whipped out their umbrellas from their arms, but others braved the droplets pounding from the sky with their notebooks. I, on the other hand, wasn't planning to get sick anytime soon, and seeing how I didn't have an umbrella, I decided to wait the storm out.

I wanted to see if, by the time Natsu finished taking that big history exam he had missed, the rain would have stopped. And I if it didn't, at least I'd have Natsu to run through the rain with.

Taking the examination would take at least one hour, so I decided to wait in a random classroom, which would be ideally warmer than the corridor.

So I wandered off to class 2 – D, the class right next to Natsu's (2 – C, and I'm in 2 –A). I was just about to slide the door open, when I heard voices coming from inside. Holding my breath, I peered in through a two inch crack I had opened.

I almost flushed when I saw Taiga standing in front of a window, listening to a girl with short, but silky hair talk to him. The window was open despite the precipitation outside, and Taiga had assumed a thoughtful, soft expression on his face. The girl whose locks hugged her ears was looking at him with admiration and kindness, smiling as her words came out of her mouth. The clamor from the rain outside drowned out her words so that I could not hear what she was saying.

I could see that redhead laughing, his eyes closing at the comment the female had just made. What was that girl's name? I think I've seen her with Levy before. Ume. That's her name. What a girly name.

She's lifting her hand to her ears to brush back her hair; her face becomes serious, and she's looking directly at Taiga now.

He's staring back at her, confusion spread across his features.

And now she's saying something; her whole face turns red as she blurts out her next statement. Taiga scoots back in surprise, suddenly very uncomfortable.

He says something, and the girl stands there, still as a statue. And at that moment, the rain lightens and I can finally hear what they're saying.

"But I thought you liked me, too!" she shouts, her voice tainted with anger.

"Look, Ume-!"

"You grabbed my hand that day, and we became friends."

"I grabbed your _wrist, _and the reason for that was because-!"

His voice cuts off, but the girl doesn't stay around to hear what he was going to say. She turns on her heel and approaches the door. Quickly, I press myself against the wall as she slams the sliding door open and marches down the corridor. Tears are falling down her cheeks as she grabs her shoes from her locker and opens her umbrella as she steps into the rainy outside world.

"Wait, Ume!" Taiga calls, his hand slamming down on the doorframe inches from my face. I come into his line of vision.

"Holy-!" he shouts, and stumbles back. When he realizes that it's just me, he sighs in frustration and walks back to the open window, scratching his head in irritation.

"Matsumura," I say, "You just broke a heart?"

He glares back at me, and I raise my hands as Natsu always does to me when I'm furious with him. Palms facing outward, like you're defending yourself against a wildebeest.

He leans on the window, and just stands there, looking at the droplets falling towards the earth.

"Hey, you all right?" I asked, clasping my hands behind my back in nervousness.

"Yeah," he says, his voice strained, "It's just that…I'm so pathetic, you know?"

I open my mouth to assure him that that's not true, but he continues before I can say anything.

"I grabbed Ume's wrist because she uses Mayuka's perfume," Taiga said quietly. "I couldn't help it. And then I started talking to her…she's a real nice girl, and everything…it's just that…I don't know. But I'm so pathetic for taking advantage of her feelings like that…"

"You didn't take advantage of anything," I muttered, and he glanced back at me briefly. "You didn't know."

"I shouldn't have led her on like that!" he said angrily, slamming his fist down on the windowsill. "I'm such a wretched guy…and I don't even know why I get love letters everyday."

"Well, you're a pretty good-looking guy," I said slowly, but he didn't even look back at me. "Do you read the letters?"

Taiga shook his head. "I give them back. What's the use of giving them false hope?"

I smiled faintly. "It's better than what Natsu does. He just takes them home and dumps them on his bed for his little cousin Wendy to get into, or something."

Taiga gave a small chuckle, but that was enough to make me grin. "When I was in the beginning of my fifth grade year, I got my love letter from Mayuka…I was really happy, because I had loved her for the longest time."

That sounded like Natsu and me. Except for the love letter part.

"So you're still not over her, huh?" I asked him.

He turned towards me and gave a small smile. "I might be…soon."

I blushed, and bit my lip.

"There's this girl in Mayuka's school that's pretty hot," he continued, turning his back onto me again.

I facepalmed myself. How could I even-?

"She's nice, gentle, kind, and a bit of a nerd…but she's very, very pretty. I've known her since the fourth grade."

As I stepped to the side, I could see Taiga's face expression softening. So he really liked that girl, huh?

"Well, I hope you confess of your feelings for her soon, my friend," I said philosophically. "I've got to go…Natsu might have finished his test by now."

Taiga nodded. "I've got a student council meeting…though I'm pretty sure I've missed a good portion of it. I've been skipping out on a lot of meetings recently."

I rolled my eyes.

When we parted ways at the classroom door, I again made my way towards the shoe lockers.

Well, that rainy day seemed like the PERFECT day for two people of opposite genders to talk and laugh with each other.

And why am I coming to this conclusion?

Because when I reached said lockers, I heard two familiar voices chatting with each other pleasantly and (probably my imagination, but since it's the account of MY love life, then it's valid) flirtatiously.

So, naturally, I hid behind a locker. Perfectly logical.

I could hear Lisanna's (smooth and melodic) voice forming words and sentences. Mostly about K-Pop, J-Pop, or something groups. Natsu laughed at her inputs, and I could hear him closing his shoe locker as he grabbed his outside shoes.

"It's raining a fair amount out there, Natsu," Lisanna said, "Are you sure you don't want to come with me? I've got an umbrella."

"It's alright. I have to wait for Lucy."

My heart gave a fast beat as he mentioned (and remembered) me.

Silence.

"Natsu…" Lisanna said hesitantly, "How do you feel about Lucy?"

Yes, Natsu how _do_ you feel about Lucy…I mean…me?

He gave an awkward cough, and muttered something about, "Why does this always come up during conversations?"

"She's just a friend."

My heart dropped like a rock.

"Oh."

More silence. But inside, I was screaming obscenities at Natsu. If it had been me who had received that question ("Lucy" omitted and "Natsu" replacing it: How do you feel about Natsu?), I would have taken a little longer than five seconds to answer.

Lisanna's voice again. "Do you see me as 'just a friend'?"

Natsu choked on something. Probably water he was drinking. "What?"

The gaps of silence filling in the parts where neither person had anything to input into the chat was growing very tiring.

"Look, Natsu…okay?" Lisanna said, her tone sending the message that she was somewhat near tears. "I…I love you!"

"_What?_"

The white-haired girl made a strangled noise, and said, "And I…I think…do you love me?"

I can hear Natsu's breath – heavy…troubled.

"L-Lisanna."

Oh my goodness. He's going to say yes. He'll say yes, and my whole nine years of love for him were going to ROT down the DRAIN.

"Well?" I'm silently asking him, and I can feel Lisanna feels the same way as I do.

"I don't look at you I that way Lisanna. You're my best friend. You really are. And I like you as a best friend…nothing more, nothing less…I'm sorry."

I dare to look around the locker, and see that…she's smiling. Lisanna's actually managing to smile!

"It's…It's all right. We can still be friends, right?"

"Yeah."

I'm trying to quiet my breathing. He said no! DID YOU HEAR THAT!? He said no!

I'm rejoicing, happy, and joyful.

And then…

And then I think about Taiga. Cell phone, Mayuka, orange juice, Grating Voice, contacting her, and no answers. His cut-open-looking eyes as I mentioned his break-up, his torn open heart as Mayuka refused to answer his calls as she frolicked around with another guy. His strong feelings of pain and suffering washed over me, and I close my eyes to brace myself against it. The emotions of rejection cutting me open and slicing me.

To feel elated and ecstatic over Lisanna's rejection…I was such a horrible person after all.

In the end, I'm still a jerk.

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter! Was Natsu's answer to Lisanna's confession shocking...or expected? (Well...I did mention it in the poem at the beginning, but still...)  
**

**Please review and tell me what ya think! :DD**


	8. Chapter 8: Ninth Grade Part 1

**I am SUPER, DUPER happy that so many of you like this story! I'm always surprised when I look back at my story and there are a lot of reviews left! THank you so, so, so much!**

**Hopefully, you're happy that I updated!**

**Sorry, if you thought it took so long! I had to plan this chapter out!**

**I tried to write it a couple of times, but I find that it's easier to get a chapter of TUCL if I do a pre-write first.**

**The original plan for this chapter was to have them go to the beach, but I got writer's block whenever I tried to write one like that so...hope you like this!**

**Disclaimer: I do not Own Fairy Tail!**

**I do, however, own Taiga.**

* * *

**Prologue Chapter 8: Ninth Grade Part 1**

The weather warmed, then cooled, then warmed again as we reached the summer of our ninth grade year.

I remember that summer the most because it was pretty eventful – at least, in my perspective it was.

It all began on a particularly stuffy day one week into summer break.

"Lucy, wake up!"

I groaned as Layla opened my curtains; I turned over onto my stomach and covered my head with my pillow.

She growled, and wrenched it off me. "Just because it's summer vacation, you shouldn't laze around doing nothing but sleep!"

I sat up, rubbing my eyes of sleep, and scowled. "Well, what am I supposed to do?"

"It's your last year in junior high! The least you could do is study!"

My frown pulled down even further.

"…or you could go get me some groceries for tonight's dinner."

"But it's HOT outside," I whined, pointing vaguely at the outdoors.

"Then catch up on your homework," she said, throwing some books at me.

I bit my cheeks, and mumbled, "Fine. I'll go get some groceries."

Mom left with a satisfied smile before leaving me to dress. I pulled on a simple tee and a skirt, and made my way downstairs. Layla handed me some money, and I exited the house, wincing at the scorching heat of the day. As I made my way to the market, I couldn't help but marvel at the way the little kids ran by without breaking a sweat. Maybe I was getting old.

There was instant relief as I entered the air conditioned grocery store, and started to look for all the things Mom had written out on the shopping list.

And that's when it happened.

I approached the produce section of the market to grab some broccoli and eggplants when I happened to accidentally meet him. I barely recognized his blonde hair, his blue eyes, his cheeky smile, and the scar just over his eye until he had called out to me.

"Lucy, is that you?"

I turned abruptly, and resisted the urge to dash out of the store when I saw who it was. Sting Eucliffe, fellow tennis player, extremely competitive, and a sore loser. He hated my guts when were playing against each other, but flirted with me when we weren't.

"Um, yeah," I said, turning around to pick some vegetables.

"Fancy meeting you here."

I bit my tongue to hold back a sarcastic comment. Oh, yeah, because it's such a RARE occurrence that people go to the store to buy food for their dinners.

"What do you want Sting?" I muttered instead.

"I just thought you were looking extra sexy today," he said in a low voice.

I felt my spine tingle as I became very uncomfortable being in a three feet radius of him. I shot him a glare, but he didn't even seem to notice.

"So, I heard you won a singles game with your senpai a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"I just thought that…you and I could make a GREAT team."

I snorted. "Please…you'd kill me before I could play a tournament if I was in a pair with you…"

He gave me a flirtatious smile, and I felt my eyelids droop down with disgust.

"Suit yourself, Lucy—," he said in a singsong fashion, and he walked away, brushing the back of his hand along my cheek before he was too distant.

I shuddered, and quickly chose a few broccoli bunches and crammed them into a plastic bag. Just being in the same store with Sting Eucliffe really put me on edge. I finished retrieving all things needed, and purchased them. Hurriedly, I left the store (a heavenly air conditioned oasis).

The heat of summer hit me again, and I trailed back home lazily, hoping the food wouldn't spoil by the time I made it home.

When I rounded the corner of my neighborhood, my hair was plastered to my forehead, and I could see waves of heat shimmering up from the ground.

"Yeah, I'll be able to go with you to the summer festival."

I looked up, just in time to see Natsu waving good-bye to some of his baseball teammates. Summer festival? I quickly became upset inside, and forgot all about how heat-stroke-inducing the weather was.

"Natsu!" I called before he could retreat back into his house again. He adorned a big t-shirt with loose basketball shorts.

"Oh, hey Luce," he replied, giving me a huge grin.

I ignored the heart squeeze that followed and said to him, "You're going with them?"

His smile disappeared quickly. "Yeah? Is something wrong?"

I shot him a glare, and he quickly raised his palms to me. "Natsu, every year, we go TOGETHER, remember?"

He stood there, and blinked. Realization spread across his face. "Oh yeah. Well, this year, you can go with your friends and I can go with mine. You won't have to put up with me this year."

Put up with him? He was making it sound like he was nuisance to me.

"But I like going with you, Natsu."

Amazingly, almost miraculously, he blushes at my comment. I suddenly become very aware of my sweaty self.

"Well, fine…if you LIKE going with me…you can come with us then…invite Levy or something."

I almost smiled.

"Lisanna would have been the only girl there, anyways…good thing you came along Luce."

"Awww, that's so cute" moment ends abruptly.

Inside, my feelings were in turmoil, but I forced a smile on my face.

I laughed jokingly. "You invited a girl even when you knew there were only going to be boys there? Guys are so clueless."

"Hey!"

I grinned at him, and indicated the shopping bags. "Well, I gotta go now. Layla will be wondering where I am. Bye, Natsu."

"Bye, Luce."

He went back in, and I went inside my own home. I laid the groceries on the kitchen table, put the food away, and then tromped to my bedroom. I shut the door and threw myself down on to the bed, and groaned when I smacked into a bunch of books.

So Lisanna was coming? And other people, as well? Every year, Natsu and I would go to the festival BY OURSELVES, no one else, and enjoy the many activities and snacks they offer. Who knew how different it was going to be this year now that his baseball team and Lisanna and Levy were going to tag along? (No offense, Levy, I love you!).

Our tradition was broken.

Natsu was growing up, and he didn't want to spend some alone time with his childhood friend anymore. He'd rather hang out with friends I didn't know. Maybe I should learn to grow up as well.

* * *

Days passed, and the night of the summer festival finally arrived. I was lying in bed when Mother herself barged into my room and said, "Aren't you going with Natsu and his friends to the festival tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Then get dressed already."

I stood up from my bed, and revealed a top with spaghetti straps, and some shorts. "I AM dressed."

"But, Lucy," Layla whined. "Every year you wear a BEAUTIFUL Yukata (A/N: a summer kimono that is made of lighter cloth); why won't you wear one this year?"

She held out the pieces of clothing earnestly, begging for me to wear them.

"No."

Because even if I look beautiful in one, Lisanna was going to look better, prettier, more captivating.

I was forced to wear one anyways.

After my hair had been done up into a messy bun, and I had stuck a hair ornament into it to keep it from falling apart, I hurried to the temple, where Natsu and the others would be waiting.

Sure enough, they were all there, even Levy, who had a notorious reputation of being late to every date, party, or friend activity. She was dressed casually in a tank top and jeans, and she snickered when she saw me in my "get-up".

"You're late," the boys said in unison, looking at me in reproach. Natsu was pouting.

I rolled my eyes, sour over the fact that none of them had commented on my apparel. I trotted over to Levy to soak in my own misery.

"Guys!"

The familiar voice shook me out of my trance, and I frowned as I saw Lisanna prettied up in her outfit.

Her yukata was decorated with sparkling trims of satin and silk and they combined and merged to create patterns of oriental flowers and birds. The main color scheme was red and gold, and her hair had been braided into a bun. A hairpin bursting with flowers and jewels sat proudly on the top of her head.

"Am I late?" she asked breathlessly, looking through her long, black eyelashes that veiled her glimmering blue orbs.

"No!" the boys chimed in unison, apparently captivated by their manager's ethereal beauty,

I scowled in the shadows, but managed to greet Lisanna with a cheerful hello.

My outfit was childish compared to hers. Cherry blossoms with starchy, pink cloth. I gazed downwards as we made our way into the festival.

Up ahead of Levy and me, Lisanna and Natsu had already engaged themselves into a conversation that had them laughing. I committed myself to looking around, admiring the children running around, the couples holding hands and pointing to various things they'd like to do, and the occasional cy of a little girl as she got separated from her parents in the din of the celebration for a little bit.

I touched many stuffed animals and smiled as little kids peered curiously at me. I knew what they were thinking. Older girls, older boys, coming to the festival in groups, and walking by the stalls like mysterious, cool, awesome beings…I want to be just like them.

It was the same thing I had thought when I was little, except the reality now was much sadder. Instead of walking beside Natsu like I thought I would have been, I was traipsing along with a moody, mercurial girl who scowled at every person who bumped into her.

I sighed.

"Shut up!" Levy growled at me.

"What?"

"You've been Natsu this, Natsu that for a while now. Aren't you done being damn crybaby?"

I gave her a withering stare and chose instead to look at the strangers walking on my other side.

"Yeah, just f*****g run away, you b*tch."

I was about to retort back when Natsu appeared in front of me, and I yelped.

"Ah, sorry, Luce…I saw a stall that's selling sour plum lollipops. You want some? It's your favorite, right?"

Even though he had asked the last statement as a question, he wasn't really meaning it as a question. He already knew the answer. Yes, they were my favorite.

"Sure."

I looked at Levy smugly before walking with Natsu to the stall, and purchasing some candy.

"Where's Lisanna?" I asked him.

"Hmm…I think she saw Mira and went to hang out with her."

"Really?" I asked, and noticing the sudden high pitch of my voice, I said, "Oh."

"Haha, yeah."

"You want to grab so takoyaki, then?" I asked him. (A/N: fish shaped pastry with bean paste inside, I believe…I want to have some, now)

"Sure."

It was turning out just like the old days.

Natsu and I walked around the whole area of the temple, buying food and laughing as one of us did something stupid.

Natsu dropped his ice cream on a little girl's head, I spilled some juice on some guy's shoe…

It was fun.

"I think I'll go get some water, 'kay?" he said to me.

"All right."

I watched as he walked away.

Nearby, a kid started to cry.

I looked at him, and smiled as I realized he was fussing over his fallen ice cream. His mother was desperately trying to calm him down. I came over to them, and kneeled down before the boy.

I took off a wristband I had gotten at a previous stall and stuck it on his wrist.

"See this? It's a magic band that can take away your sadness…all you need to do is hold onto it and think of happy things."

He looked at me, and then did what I had just told him.

"It worked!" he cried when he opened his eyes. He clapped his hands in glee.

His mother smiled at me gratefully. "Thank you."

"No prob."

"Touya, say thank you to the nice onee-chan."

The little boy looked at me shyly, and then said quickly, "Thank you!"

The pair walked away, and I watched them for a moment before standing up.

Time to spend some time with Natsu…

Only, one problem. Where was he, anyways?

I had gotten lost. I was the best.

I walked through the crowds of people, and called, "Natsu! Natsuuuu!"

No answer, no pink head, no nothing. I walked around some more, getting my throat hoarse and scratchy as I shouted for my childhood friend. Nowhere. No Natsu. Zilch.

Up ahead, I heard a loud explosion. I jumped, and chuckled at myself as I realized the fireworks were starting.

And that meant I REALLY needed to find Natsu. If we couldn't keep our custom of going to the festival every year by ourselves, then at least we could keep the record of viewing the fireworks every year.

I started to run.

My energy was depleting and I was hunched over the next time I cared enough for myself to rest.

"Shouldn't you being looking for Lucy?"

My ears perked, and I looked around the bush that was obscuring me from anybody's view.

Natsu and Lisanna.

Lisanna was turned towards him, waiting for her question to be answered. Truthfully, I waiting for him to reply as well.

"She'll be all right. She's manlier than me sometimes, that Luce."

And then the two of them turned back towards the exploding, gunpowder-y show.

I ran away, far enough so that they wouldn't be able to hear my voice and I wouldn't be able to hear theirs.

I threw myself down onto a bench, and sat there, blinking and thinking. Reviewing what I had just seen. Reviewing what I had just heard. And then, I sank into my own self-pity, hating myself for it, but also savoring the nice sensation of feeling sorry for myself.

A flash of red caught my attention, and I flushed as I saw a familiar face looking down at me, his face wearing an expression that said "I just found a weird person". Immediately, I sat up as straight as a rod, and smiled forcibly.

"Heeeeey, Matsumura," I said causally, slinging my arm over the bench's back.

"A girl who sits like that…I would never go out with a girl who does that," Taiga replied, lifting an eyebrow.

I frowned, and he took a seat beside me, running his hands through his hair. He looked tired, but he was clearly enjoying the night,

He wore a sleeveless shirt and loose cargo shorts, and tennis shoes that outlined his broad, but carefully shaped feet.

"So…what's wrong?" he asked.

I blinked and laughed. "What do you mean 'what's wrong?'"

"Don't do that, Lucy," he said flatly, sucking on his lollipop nonchalantly.

I fell silent, and after waiting a while in silence, I finally said, "When I looked at Natsu and Lisanna closely…I realized that they would make a perfect couple. They'd make each other happy."

After I said the words, I waited for Taiga's response. Maybe "Oh, love stuff" or "Talk about these things with another girl, would ya?" or "You're such a crybaby" or "You're just looking for problems".

Instead, he remained silent, and when a few minutes passed, he turned to me.

"Do you want a mango flavored lollipop?"

I grimaced. "Nah, I don't like that flavor."

"Really? It's my favorite."

"My favorite is melon."

He smiled, and reached into his pants pocket. He withdrew a melon lolli and gave it to me.

"Thanks," I mumbled, unwrapping it.

We watched the fireworks for a bit, and fell into a complete, awkward quiet.

"I'll be moving to Okinawa after summer is over."

His sudden comment startled me, and it took a second for what he had said to process through my mind.

"What?"

No answer.

"What do you mean?"

He looked at me. "I'll be transferring to another school and house in Okinawa."

"Why?"

I felt upset.

"My dad's job."

My stomach was churning with displeasure. Moving? And he was just telling me NOW?

I felt like crying for some reason, but I held it back, and managed to throw an insult at him.

"I'll miss your cruel, sadistic attitude."

He smirked, and replied, "And I'll miss how you always get in my way."

I scowled, but giggled as Taiga started laughing softly to himself. We stared at each other a bit, and I admired his red eyes.

"Are you sure you can live without me?" he asked, giving me an arrogant stare.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll manage."

Taiga laughed, and I beamed at his lit up countenance.

"Taiga!"

He turned towards the sound of his name being called.

The fireworks had ended.

"I gotta go," he said, his voice trailing off.

I ducked my head and nodded; I needed to find Natsu.

I felt Matsumura's stare boring into my head. "On second thought, I'll walk you home."

My mouth twitched, preparing to protest, but he had already gone off to tell his friend.

We had an awkward walk home, with barely any conversation.

"Do you think you'll find a new girlfriend in Okinawa?" I asked him.

"Huh?"

"In mangas and stuff, girls there always take an interest in Tokyo boys."

He chuckled. "This isn't a comic book, Lucy."

I reddened, and growled, "Yeah, yeah. I know that full well."

We had reached my house's gate.

The two of us stood there awkwardly, until I heard the door open.

"Lucy! You're finally home – oh, who are you?"

Taiga bowed to Layla, and said, "Taiga Matsumura, Lucy's classmate…nice to meet you. I'm the school's student council treasurer."

"Oh…oh my, are you sure you aren't her B-O-Y-F-!"

"Mom!"

She laughed, and said to Taiga, "Do you want to come in?"

He shook his head. "I'd love to, but I need to get home. My mom will get worried."

Layla smiled understandingly. "I get that. Do you need a ride home?"

Again, he shook his head. "I live close by here."

"All right then…be careful."

"Bye, Matsumura," I said, and he turned back to smile at me.

"Bye, Lucy. Have a nice day…I mean, night, Mrs. Heartfilia."

He waved good-bye and disappeared down the road.

Mom beckoned me in, and after a nice, hot bath, I was in my bed, scrolling through my received text messages.

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: B*tch, you left me.]

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: The fireworks started. You shall pay.]

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: That summer idiot! Have u confessed 2 him or wht?]

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: Did he say no? He said no didn't he? I shall punch his face in!]

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: I just saw Gajeel! Remember him? And BTW, where r u!? Natsu's looking for u like crazy!]

[TakeOverMageLisanna: Where r u, Lucy?]

Surprisingly, despite her shy personality, her username thing-y was very strange, and somehow assertive.

[SummerEqualsNatsu: Luce? Where R U?!]

I groaned, and peeked at my cell when I heard a buzz.

I had gotten a new message.

[SummerEquals Natsu: Got a text from ur mom. Ur home?!]

I didn't even bother to answer. My eyes were heavy with sleepiness, and I was just pulling my covers over myself when my bedroom door slammed open.

"Wha-?"

"Luce!"

It was Natsu.

And he was furious.

"Where WERE you?"

"Uh…" I said, "The festival, and then…home?"

"Did you walk home ALONE?!"

"No! Taiga Matsumura took me-!"

"Him!? The soccer dude?"

"What?"

"He plays soccer…what the hell, Luce?! What if he had done something to you!?"

"What do you mean?"

"Forced a kiss on you, made a move, taken advantage of you…you shouldn't go home with those kind of guys!"

"What the f**k? Don't talk about him like that!"

"Huh?"

"Taiga wouldn't do that! Unlike SOMEbody I know, he's gentle, sweet, and actually really, really thoughtful. You can bag on me all you want, but not on Taiga!"

"Why are you defending him?" Natsu asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"Do you love him? Is that it?"

"What? No!"

Natsu clenched his fists, and glared at me. "Whatever, Luce. Just remember if you do fall in love with him, you're going to get hurt."

He turned around and left. I listened as he tromped down the stairs and slammed the front door closed.

"What was that?" Layla shouted to me.

I didn't answer.

I fell onto my bed, and clutched my pillow.

"What the heck was wrong with him?" I whispered.

Natsu was wrong. I did not love Taiga. I loved him.

And my love for him was not only hurting me, it was killing me.

* * *

**Sorry for all you people who liked Taiga! He's moving away! But I can't keep him out of the loop for long, can I!? (Truthfully, I love him, too!)**


	9. Chapter 9: Ninth Grade Part 2

**Thank you all for the many reviews I received! And for that, I tried to update as SOON as POSSIBLE! Except...I think that about five or six day s have passed since I last updated! So sorry! :3 **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

**Prologue Chapter 9: Ninth Grade Part 2**

When the devastation and tears of Taiga leaving for Okinawa had settled, important days had already arrived and passed.

The school trip to Kyoto, the school trip to the mountains, the school trip to the amusement park…

And then finally came the most important day of a junior high school student's life – next to a love confession – Graduation Day.

For every person, Graduation Day is supposed to be significant because the handing of the scroll means 'I'm no longer a middle school student', 'I'm growing up, b*tches!', and 'I'm becoming a high school student!'

For me, the significance of Graduation Day was altered and twisted. Why?

I'll tell you why.

The ceremony ended with a tremendous amount of applause from all gathered parents. Everyone whooped and hollered as THEIR kid stood up and left the auditorium, wearing a pin that depicted that they were 3rd year graduates of THIS middle school, and holding a diploma – rolled up and stored into a tube just like a scroll would – in their hands. I exited the double doors of the place with trembling excitement. Way behind me was Levy herself, dancing her way out, and yelling, "That's right! I, Levy McGarden, awesomer than all of you, AM A GRADUATE OF THIS YEAR!"

I smiled to myself a there outbursts, and then allowed myself to squint for Natsu. Far in the front, in the area of the 'D's', his pink head bobbed up and down as he waved to the various people he knew. The graduates were tumbling away from the organized, alphabetized line we were in, and congregated in the front, hurrying to catch up with Popular Boy Dragneel.

I could hear the girls sobbing, "I'm going to a different school that Natsu's!"

"First Taiga, and now THIS!"

I sped up my pace, and shrieked as I felt a hand clap on my shoulder.

"Um, you know, I'm not accusing you of anything, but, uh, were you just planning to leave me back there?"

Levy.

Another slap on my back.

"Were you BOTH intending to leave me?"

Erza.

I shot both of them a smile, and they pouted.

"Right…Natsu…"

My cheeks grew hot.

"He's been trapped in by the WOLVES," Levy sneered, brushing her hair back. "Did you SEE the way his pin was crooked…and the way his collar was all messed up?"

"Three years of his life spent here," Erza agreed, "and he shows up looking like THAT."

I rolled my eyes at their negative speculation of Natsu's uniform style. A burst of laughter from where he was generally located perked my interest, and I stood on tiptoe. I could spot a head of white – maybe Mirajane, maybe Lisanna, maybe Mira's overprotective younger brother Elfman.

Natsu's pink head was right next to the white one. Lisanna.

A churning of my stomach brought the smile of my face down into a frown.

"Here she goes again," Levy sighed, holding her forehead in her right hand. She took on a pose of mock frustration. "'Why does Natsu seem SO close to THE gorgeous Lisanna?'"

"'She's so beautiful'…and her chest measurements have GOT to be impressive," Erza added.

I scowled at her.

"But, hey…you've grown a LOT…there," the redhead said defensively. "Yeah, beat that white-haired girl in the race for chest development."

I turned away, tired of hearing Erza's failing, lame encouragement.

My ears strained to hear what Natsu and the others were talking about.

Levy tittered impatiently, and grabbed me by my wrist. She dragged me over to the big group and shouted, "Make way! Make way! Awesome Levy coming through! Sexy Lucy coming! And Erza's here as well!"

I could hear the scarlet, flame-haired girl muttering something under her breath about 'throwing you' and 'clear across the baseball field'.

Surprisingly, people parted, letting me come into the heart of the gathering.

Natsu blinked, stared at me, and smiled weakly. We had forgiven each other –silently, unknowingly – for that summer's incident a while ago, but it was still awkward when we were with each other. Lisanna stood near him, her eyes glimmering with unabashed excitement, and the sadness of finally finishing three years of junior high. Her snow white hair had been curled slightly, so that the strands formed corkscrews. Her eyelashes had become darker and longer due to some mascara, and her eye shadow brought out her blue-colored irises perfectly.

Her lips were left bare, but her flashing, blinding smile made up for that.

"Uh, hi," I said quietly. "You look great, Lisanna."

She blinked. "Oh, uh, thank you."

Natsu smiled. "You don't really need make-up to look great…"

He blinked, realizing what he had just said. "I mean, um, you know, uh…you know what I mean, right?"

"Oh, we do, Natsu," Loke crowed, "You're saying Lisanna's one HOT chick, right?"

Before Natsu could even turn and punch the boy in the face, Levy was already on it. She jabbed her elbow into his stomach, and stood by innocently as he choked back a yelp of pain.

A few seconds of an awkward silence passed before Gray spoke up.

"Here's to going to Fairy Tail High together!" he cheered, pumping his fist.

All of us cheered, and I smiled as Natsu high-fived Loke. "Baseball team! Koshien!"

(A/N: Koshien is a national high school baseball championship for the best baseball teams! It's what high school baseball club members usually aim for.)

Mira laughed as Elfman hugged her and carried on about, "I'll miss you," and "Don't get involved with bad guys," and "If you do fall in love, Natsu is truly a MAN!"

We all giggled as we grouped together for a pat on the back.

I stopped as I noticed Lisanna's sagging, frowning face.

My mouth parted to ask her what was wrong, but Natsu beat me to it.

"What's wrong, Lisanna?"

"Huh? Nothing's wrong."

The white-haired girl laughed, "Why would you think something's wrong?"

"Don't do that, Lisanna."

A flash of red hair. A mango lollipop. A melon lollipop.

_So…what's wrong?_

_ What do you mean 'what's wrong'?_

_ Don't do that, Lucy._

Her face fell, and she cast her eyes downward. "I won't be going to Fairy Tail High."

I could see my childhood friend's expression fall. His eyebrows slanted down, and he asked, "Why?"

Lisanna blinked furiously, and I could tell she was trying to hold back tears. "I'll be going to Edolas Academy. My parents are moving there."

My jaw dropped open, as well as every boy's in the vicinity.

Natsu stared at her with a blank expression. "Edolas…Academy?"

Gray groaned. "Fairy Tail's own copycat…"

Lisanna looked down, her well done eyelashes smearing as tears began to flow. Her bottom lip trembled as she tried to stop herself from showing how sad she truly was. Her hands clutched the place over her heart, and she kept on glancing at Natsu over and over. I knew what she was thinking deep down. She didn't want to leave the one she loved; she really did want to stay here, and continue to like him and see him.

If she was all the way in the next town or city that Edolas Academy was located in, she would never get to see that boy on a daily basis.

Inside, I could feel my emotions dancing around in happiness. My face twitched as my mouth almost broke out into a huge grin. Everyone's faces were serious, except for Levy's , whose expression was almost always set into one of extreme boredom or annoyance.

"But you were going to apply to be the manager for FT's baseball team…" Natsu continued, and his face twisted in frustration. He grew angry. "Don't tell me you'll become the manager for the club there."

The white-haired girl's facial features formed one of extreme pain. "Natsu…I believe…I really, really believe that you'll get to go to Koshien…and I think Edolas is good enough to enter as well. If being the manager for their team and getting to go to Koshien is the ONLY way to get to see you ever again – and it is – then I'll do it."

That was stupid. Just because she couldn't drive here, she was going to sign up and help the rivalry?

If it was me moving to another city – or town, I would come all the way here just to root for Natsu, just to cheer him on, just to BE there for him – whether he acknowledges me or not.

But that idiot's face flushed red as the girl said the words. From the corner of my eye, I could see Mira pointing at her own shirt. She was indicating something to Natsu. I read her silent, moving lips.

'Give her your second button.'

(A/N: In Japan, when junior high school boys give their second button –meaning the second button on their uniform jacket - to a girl, it means that they love them romantically. The second button is said to be the one that is closest to the heart.)

Natsu understood Mira's message, but he chose to ignore it.

"Natsu… it's a confession!" Loke whispered needlessly. Natsu shot him an irritated look before turning around. I watched on helplessly as he looked directly at Lisanna.

"Fine…but you better cheer for our team."

The beautiful girl smiled. "I will, Natsu."

The silence that ensued slowly broke into babbles of conversation. I stared as Natsu started to talk with his best friend normally again; upset, happy, and lonely, I pushed my way out of the group and sat under a tree. Levy followed, shaking her head; Erza trailed after her, reluctantly pulling away from a conversation about Kendo with some unknown female.

I let my head fall onto my knees, and I stayed hunched over like that.

_"So…what's wrong?"_

All right. This would be the first and last time I would EVER, EVER admit to this. I missed Taiga.

Right now, in this moment of misery, he would have already approached me in his careless, indifferent, and nonchalant way, asked me what was wrong in a casual tone, and somehow make the following conversation be about something completely off-topic. My mouth tingled as I remembered the taste of the melon-flavored candy. His favorite was mango, and mine's was melon.

Red hair, flaming, brilliant like fire.

Pink hair, soft, and somehow classic like bubble gum.

My throat scratched against itself as a lump grew in my throat.

_Do you love him? Is that it?_

Why couldn't Natsu understand that I loved HIM?

"Because you've never told him," nagged the voice at the back of my head.

"You're a wimp, while Lisanna is assertive," it continued condescendingly.

I lifted my head, and watched Natsu. My heart squeezed slightly at the sight of his laughter and smile.

Then, I told the voice angrily, I'll tell him. I'll tell him I've loved him throughout all these years I've known him. That I've liked him ever since I stepped on those steps to his front door, heard him scream "Sorry Igneel!",saw his pink hair, and heard his tinny voice as he asked, "Hey, Igneel. Instead of a dog, can we get a dragon instead?"

And then I'd tell him how all of our memories meant so much to me. And how some of them had made me SO mad.

His insult about my dress.

His comment that we would never be a couple.

His coldness towards me.

"Girls should hang out with other girls."

"Girls should be cuter."

Gray asking, "Hey, didn't we leave Lucy out?"

"Oh. So then she goes at the very bottom."

His year-by-year update about my…chest.

Then I'd name off all the important, meaningful memories.

Congratulating me on entering the tennis club.

Saying my uniform suited me.

Telling me to run as I hit the baseball.

And the promise to stick together. A promise that was made on a rainy day under the awning of a store. Our pinkies intertwining as we agreed, smiled, and shivered at the droplets of rainwater that clung to our clothes.

I wanted to cling to that day, to convince myself that that promise was being fulfilled. But I would be kidding myself.

Natsu was changing while I stayed stuck in the mud of the past. My fingers, tangled in the good times of our childhood, managed to delude my brain. Everything would be all right. In the end, Natsu and I will always manage to stay together. I needed to pull away from that, to untangle myself, and be able to say, "I love you."

Because I really did. I don't know when I started to realize "the squeezing, heart-racing feeling I get when I'm around Natsu" was love. It happened, and I liked him. That was all that needed to be said.

As the feelings grow, the insecurity inside of me increases as well. Other girls. Other fans. Other chances of him ending up with a lover that isn't me.

I find myself thinking about it when I try not to.

I find myself thinking about when I try to.

And then I start to wonder- is he thinking about me this way?

"Earth to Lucy!"

I snap out of my dismal trance, and notice half of the people in the courtyard are gone.

"Where'd everyone go?" I asked. "Did they go home?"

"No, to work. Yes they went home!" Levy said, clearly enjoying her sarcastic comment.

I rolled my eyes at her, and stood up. "Is Natsu still here?"  
"He's getting ready to leave."

"We need to go!"

I grabbed my scroll from the ground and sprinted to that smear of pink in the distance.

"Natsu!"

I saw him turn, and he managed to force a smile onto his face as he spotted me.

"Luce."

Relief rushes through my body as I realize…I'm not too late to confess.

Lisanna and the others are already making their way to their own houses. Luckily, Levy and Erza notice the situation and oblige themselves to go on ahead of us. They urge the guys to go home, and start to run away.

"What are they doing?" Natsu asked quietly.

I shrugged, and bit my lip as I felt my heart rate quicken.

My hands clench my diploma as we started to walk towards home.

Natsu had a preoccupied look plastered on his face.

Lucy, you can do this!  
I mustered up my courage, and inhaled as much air as I could manage as we approached a corner.

I gave one last squeeze on my scroll, and began, "Natsu-!"

"I made a mistake, didn't I?" he whispered.

I blinked. "What?"

"I made a mistake," he said more loudly. His expression was troubled, and his face was distorted with…regret?

"Natsu-? What are you talking about?"

A cold feeling had appeared in my stomach.

"I should never have rejected her," he said, his voice tense with frustration. "And now…she's going to leave me!"

He looked behind him, and turned on his heels.

"Natsu-!"

"Luce, go on ahead without me! I'm going to find Lisanna!" he yelled as he ran away.

"But-!"

I stared in disbelief at him, and clenched my hands as I began to follow him. My delusions were flickering in my mind again. He's not going to confess to her, he's just going to say good-bye one last time, they're just friends…!

"No!" I gasped.

My legs felt like lead as I turned around one more corner, and smacked myself against the wall as I spotted the Struass siblings…and one Dragneel.

The afternoon light was setting their heads afire, and my mouth had become scratchy and dry. I felt as if my skin was melting off my bones. I concentrated on the conversation behind me.

"Natsu!? What are you doing here?" Lisanna asked in surprise.

"I, I-! Lisanna…!"

"Elfman, let's go home first…" Mirajane said.

"But-!"

"Elfman!" Mira snapped. Nobody was going to mess this up, was what her tone dictated.

I heard their heavy footsteps as the strutted down the street.

When the sound had faded away, I shut my eyes at the awkward silence. Jump out and do something, I told myself. Ruin the moment! Ruin it!

"What is it, Natsu?" Lisanna asked finally.

No answer.

I looked around the corner, and my eyes stung as I watched Natsu, completely still.

I wish I could skip out on the next part, and say I didn't see the rest.

But that would be lying.

I don't want to lie.

That pink-haired idiot, that dense IDIOT, reached up for something on his jacket. He grabbed the second button, and wrenched it from his uniform – the object that represented love, right in his hands. He held up to the remaining sunlight, and Lisanna watched as it sparkled.

I wanted it to be mine. I wanted to be the one watching in sparkle as I stood in front of him. That button…

His fingers held it gently, and he brought it to his lips. He kissed the button and handed it to the white-haired girl. She did not take it. She was trying to comprehend what he was trying to say.

"In eighth grade," Natsu said slowly, "You told me you loved me. I said I didn't look at you that way."

The girl's face twisted in pain.

"I lied to you, Lisanna," he said quietly. "I really, really love you. And I want you to have this…_because_ I really, really love you."

(A/N: Please don't get too depressed over this next part!)

I could see the girl's lip start to tremble, but that's all I can remember. Because for some reason, my vision grew blurry.

For some reason, I felt the ground hit my knees. For some reason, my cheeks were drenched. For some reason, I felt a hole in my being.

A promise to stick together always. Bullsh*t. There was no such thing. The mangas all lie. Childhood love is not all sweet, obvious, and likely to happen.

One person's love, decreasing in importance day by day as the two of them get used to the other's existence, gets crushed, burned, and trodden upon by careless feet as another person enters.

The original person's not good enough.

I'm the old, and Lisanna's the new.

You hear about heartbroken girls sobbing, weeping, and crying.

Those girls are weak, you think, they are very, very annoying…

That's what I used to say too.

But my tears wouldn't stop.

The pain was unbearable, and watching them hug…

_So…what's wrong?_

In the songs, it always seems so easy to get back on your feet again after love fails.

Bullsh*t, too.

I'm crying, running away.

And I'm thinking…I wish I never even met Natsu.

But that's a lie. I know it's a lie. Because deep down, I still like him. I still love him with ALL my HEART.

And I'm trying to think, at least he's happy.

But unfortunately, that thought coincides with the selfish question: What about me?

I should have known this was going to happen sooner or later.

But I had been staying in my own fantasy world where I still believed that promise would reveal itself to be true one day.

But it didn't.

And now I'm crying in my bed, thinking about and reviewing what had just happened.

At least there's one thing about those mangas that are true.

Sooner or later, the protagonist is going to make a comeback.

And you better watch out when she does.

I'm Lucy Heartfilia.

Heartfilia's are magnificent at comebacks.

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**Was this sad? I tried to make it as tear-jerking as possible, but...I don't know...**

**_IMPORTANT:_ Cheer up, Lucy! And if any of you have ever experienced what she has...find another person! I bet you're all great people that deserve a person who realizes your meaningful feelings and respects them and returns them! I hope I didn't depress anyone that has gone through something similar to this!**

**Please Review! Thank you in advance! ~**

**For those of you who were upset over Chapter 8 about a certain SOMETHING, uh...I think you will like the next chapter!**

**I just spoiled my own story.**

**I am a genius.**

**Sarcasm there.**

**Blink, blink.**

**Well, anyways...**

**Here's to hoping for happy experiences next chapter! **


	10. Chapter 10: Tenth Grade Part 1

**Hello there!~ Are you glad that I updated? It's been five days...I'm sorry!**

**Well, I hope you like this chapter...! :D**

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**Prologue Chapter 10: Tenth Grade Part 1**

Before long, we had entered high school. For the most part, the beginnings of my senior high school life were colorless and bland. I had no one to constantly worry about, blush over, or even smile softly at. Levy tried desperately to cheer me up, and even Natsu's little cousin Wendy sighed exasperatedly at her older cousin's idiocy. I tried to keep a level head, and continued at tennis, refining my skills, and entering in competitions very often.

Natsu's baseball practice started earlier than my practice, and ended a little later, as well. As a result, I never saw him much. Once, when I did spy him, he gave me a quick, awkward "Hey, Luce" and rushed off. Lisanna and he were still dating, and they held their "meetings" at least once a week.

About five months into high school, though, something occurred which made life a little less boring – a LOT less boring.

I had just finished up tennis practice, and I zipped up my bag as the other girls poured into the locker rooms.

"Lucy!" a girl with light brown hair called. "You're not going to change into your normal clothes?"

I looked back, waving my hand dismissively. "Nah! I need to buy some groceries for my mom!"

"All right!"

I slung the bag over my shoulder, and twisted my hair up into a fairly messy ponytail; I exited the courts and made my way towards the supermarket, which was a couple of blocks away from school.

Before I entered the air-conditioned building, I checked my pack's pockets to see if I had enough money. I nodded as my hands felt a couple crumpled bills, and blinked as the automatic doors slid aside for me.

The lights were bright, and the low murmur of chatter of the shoppers lulled me to a calm as I examined the list Layla had so generously bestowed upon me. Most of the things she wanted me to retrieve for her (sometimes, I feel like a very well-behaved dog) were in the produce section (Mom has gotten a lot more 'pro-health and veggie-eating" lately). Sighing inwardly, I traipsed off to search for kumquats and plums.

A trip to the grocery store is never uneventful for Lucy Heartfilia.

As I poured over the collection of peaches, trying to decide which ones to pick, I felt a shoulder bump lightly into mine. I turned to give my apology, but stopped abruptly as I saw who it was.

"Sting," I said softly, trying to control the amount of exasperation that welled up inside of me.

He smiled a grin that I can only describe as flirtatious, and held up a fruit.

He arched a blonde eyebrow. "Buying some fruit?"

No, I'm here to look for chicken.

"Well…duh," I muttered, turning back to the peaches.

I could see him lean on the edge of the box the fruits were piled into from the corners of my eyes.

"May I help you pick some out? I have a very keen eye for these sorts of things."

No; go away or you won't have an EYE anymore, much less a KEEN one.

"I've got it."

I could see a flash of frustration cross his features at my cold attitude towards him.

"Lucy, dear, dear Lucy…why do you act like such a b*tch towards me?"

Did he just call me…oh, that low….

"Can you just get away and mind your own life for once?" I snapped, confronting him.

"So calling you a b*tch really got under your skin, huh?"

"Shut up, Sting. Go away."

His hand cupped my cheek. "I love it when you say my name."

I parted my lips, ready to bite his fingers off when a deep, smooth, and even voice sounded from right behind us.

"Let go of her."

We turned.

Standing in a ridiculously relaxed way, and dressed in a simple, sleeveless shirt, and beige cargo shorts, was a red-haired guy with a slightly smug face. His bangs were long and fell over his equally red eyes, but the rest of his hair was an adequate length; his arms were muscular, but not so extremely that they bulged out and appeared bulky. His legs looked firm and strong, and his feet were broad, but fit his image exactly. On his right wrist was a bright, white watch, and on his left was a wristband. His socks stopped just blow the middle of his calves, and his sneakers seemed to be brand new, and clean.

He arched an eyebrow. The way he did it didn't make him look creepy like Sting but positively…uh...asking for nosebleeds from several girls. He glanced at me, and shot me a tiny, arrogant smile.

"TAIGA!?" I said, in total disbelief. A part of me wanted to run up and hug him (you know...out of FRIENDSHIP, not in THAT way...need I explain any more?), and another part of me wanted to punch him in the face, and ask, "Where were you during my heartbreak moment!?"

Sting shot me an annoyed look. "What's your problem?" The question was spat at the redhead.

Taiga smiled at the blonde boy, cocked his head, and asked in an incredibly calm tone, "What the f*** is yours?"

I swear, the way he cussed was so freakishly and frighteningly peaceful that it would have made the toughest, roughest, and meanest delinquent pee their pants.

Sting - obviously not a tough guy despite the scar above his eye - smirked foolishly, and turned back to me. "Just go away, and leave us alone, would you?"

"Get away from Lucy before I – or she – breaks your arm."

I smiled a little as I realized Taiga was putting my occasional, violent demeanor into the limelight.

The golden-haired boy laughed, his eyebrows slanting down. He looked irritatingly doubtful of Taiga's threat. "Like she would -"

His statement was cut off as I grabbed his arm, and wrenched it behind him. He gave out a squeak of pain.

"What the f***? Let go of me!"

I leaned him towards him, and said in a low voice, "Get away from me, you bee-like b*tch."

I let go of him.

Sting gave me a withering glare, and shot a look of disgust at the flame-haired boy. "I-!"

"Seems like he really wants to end up in the hospital today," I snorted. "Do you think I really wouldn't give you ONE punch to your 'keen eye' or whatever?"

The blonde gave me one last look of pure disgust before he stalked away in utter humiliation.

I watched as he disappeared around the corner, and finally looked at the supposedly "gone to Okinawa" boy before me.

"Taiga, what are you doing here?"

He looked around him. "Uh…shopping for groceries?"

"No sh*t, I mean, what are you doing in TOKYO?"

"Still shopping for groceries."

I gave him "The Look".

He raised his hands in defense, and said, "I moved back here…got an offer from a soccer team from a prestigious school or whatever."

"What school?"

"I think it was Fairy Tail and Sabertooth?"

"And which did you accept?"

"Sabertooth."

"Oh."

I felt a sinking disappointment arise within me, and turned away to finish my shopping. Taiga followed me, occasionally putting a vegetable or fruit into his basket.

"You're going to Fairy Tail?

"Yeah."

I crossed off the last item on the list, and began to walk towards the check out area.

The redheaded boy was lost from me for a second as he stopped by the tomato box. He caught up with me a moment later, and I winced at the pretentious smirk spread across his face.

"Did you want me to go to Fairy Tail?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"What!? N-no! No!" I protested, mentally slapping myself for stammering. I began to unload my things from my basket.

Taiga shot me a smug look as he loaded his things onto the conveyor belt. He cocked his head. "Really?"

"Yes!" I snapped, and gave the cashier twenty bucks. She gave my change back in a hurry, and looked at Taiga in mild interest. She was a pretty girl, and her eyelashes fluttered as she looked the boy over; her square glasses slipped down her nose.

"That'll be fifteen dollars and twenty cents, please," she said in a low, alluring voice. He hardly glanced at her as he handed over seventeen dollars.

The girl – apparently named Evergreen (I read her nametag) – frowned, and muttered something about "don't know what beauty is even when they see it".

For some reason, I waited until he was done purchasing, and walked with him as we exited the store.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Taiga asked.

To say "no" would be a lie…and Heartfilias don't lie…if we can help it.

"Sure."

We crossed the street cautiously, and began the journey to my neighoborhood. An awkward silence was all that passed between us for a while. And then Taiga dropped the question.

"Do you still like Natsu?"

I stumbled, and managed to catch myself before I did any real damage – to me and the groceries.

"Sh*t! What the f***, Taiga?"

Instead of reacting to my offense sentences, he looked at me with amusement written plainly across his face, and asked, "Do you?"

I blushed, and replied, "Well…I…uh, I-!"

Then I let my head hang down dejectedly. "Yes."

"But he's going out with Lisanna now!" I added quickly.

"Lisanna…his best friend, or whatever?"

I nodded.

"Seriously?

"Yeah."

"About time he did."

"Oi!"

"What?"

I shot him a glare, but all he did was smile back at me.

"Is your favorite flavor still melon?"

I blinked, confused for a moment before I realized he was talking about lollipop flavors.

"Yeah?"

"You should try mango some time."

"What? I told you-"

"Even if you love one particular flavor, you should give other great flavors a try, Lucy."

I blinked, and asked testily, "Are you making an analogy to my love life?"

Taiga smirked. "Nah, why would I do that?"

I gave him no answer, and we continued to walk.

"Hey…" he began.

"What?"

My reply was moody, and he glanced at me with a look on his face that said "You're so funny".

"Before I left, didn't you call me Matsumura…mostly?"

No answer. I was thinking.

"Yeah, but I always thought of you as Taiga I my mind."

A lopsided, arrogant smile made its way to his mouth. Here it comes…

"Which means you thought of me so much while I was gone that you got used to using my first name?"

"Would you shut up already?"

He laughed, and I was left wondering why he was never discouraged by my less-than-optimistic replies.

We arrived at my house's gate at last. I turned towards him, shifting the bags of supermarket items uncomfortably in my hands.

"Do you want to come in?"

"Nah…I gotta go help my parents unpack."

"Oh."

"Don't be so disappointed," he said sarcastically. He smiled. "See you soon?"

"Sure," I answered, and shot a tiny (very, very, VERY tiny) grin at him. "Yeah."

He turned around and walked away.

"Bye, Taiga."

He raised his right arm and gave a short wave. "Ja ne."

I watched as he disappeared around a bend, and stood there for a bit more as I went over what he had said to me. _Give other great flavors a try?_

Taiga was telling me to move on. That, sure, I loved Natsu right now, but there were other awesome guys out there who I could love, as well. And maybe he was right. Maybe I SHOULD move on, and consider someone else…someone like that certain flame-haired male.

I started as I heard Natsu's gate creak.

The person who I was considering moving on from was right there before me.

A wave of warmth and happiness washed over me as I caught sight of his onyx eyes and salmon hair.

And then it struck me.

Could I actually move on? If I was THIS happy seeing this STUPID, IDIOTIC, DENSE boy, could I really move on and like someone else?

Natsu looked at me, and I felt my fingers tingle with expectancy.

He nodded towards the corner where Taiga had disappeared around.

"Isn't that Matsumura?"

I nodded, and said with a dry mouth, "Yeah."

Natsu looked at me again, and I could tell he was trying to act as casual as possible.

The thing about Natsu: he's HORRIBLE at acting.

My heart beat against my chest as I waited for him to speak again.

"I thought he moved?"

"He moved back."

Natsu rolled his eyes, "No, really, Luce?"

He gazed at me directly.

"Is he transferring to our school?"

"No, to Sabertooth."

Natsu's face lit up suddenly. "Really?"

"Yeah…" I blinked. Lisanna was going to another school (so he couldn't be worrying about Taiga stealing her away), Natsu is the king in popularity (Taiga was as well, but they didn't have trouble sharing the throne in middle school), he's the king at baseball, and Taiga plays at another sport (so they couldn't actually be competitive in the athletic area…)… so why was he so…? "Why are you so happy about it?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you so happy that he's not going to our school?"

"What…I'm not THAT -!"

"Yes, I really think you are."

"Well…he could have been my rival in sports…"

"Natsu, you and he play COMPLETELY DIFFERENT sports."

"So? Still athletics, isn't it?"

"Right…."

I was nervous. My palms were sweaty, and I was trying to keep my body from trembling.

"Um…right, listen Lucy, I gotta go…help Igneel wash the dishes…so…bye?"

"Yeah, s-

Before I could even finish my farewell, he had already darted back inside.

I stared at the spot he had been in just a moment before, and chuckled under my breath.

Natsu didn't help Igneel clean…no matter what.

Was it alright for me to think that he had been worrying about Taiga and I attending the same school?

Was it alright for me to think that there was still hope, after all?

I shook my head.

Nah.

It was probably just Luce, Natsu's childhood friend, being idiotic and moronic and hung up on that childhood love in the end.

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**Well, how many of you are HAPPY that TAIGA came back!? **

**Yay!**

**But seriously, tell me in your reviews (if you review), were you sad, mad, happy that he returned?**

**I know that it's cheesy to put the title of your story into the story itself...but I couldn't resist!**

**Sorry if you think the ending of the chapter was subtle...but I didn't want a totally happy, ecstatic outburst from Natsu, because Mr. Salmon-or-Pink-Haired guy is obviously JELLY of SOMEONE!**

**Hope you review!**

**Until the next chapter! Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11: Tenth Grade Part 2

**I has the done it! I have updated!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

**IMPORTANT: There is an important message in the author's note below! So, please, do it read it! You won't miss it!**

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**Prologue Chapter 11: Tenth Grade Part 2**

[LevyAwesomerThanAnythingMcGarden: Free 4 a hang out after tennis prac?]

[LucyHeart: I'll c.]

I sighed as I pocketed my cell phone and made my way to tennis practice. The day was hot, and a lot of people were heading towards home. I wanted to go home myself.

I just wanted to hang out with Levy and Erza, and have a nice, normal conversation that wasn't about Natsu, or love, or boyfriends. I twisted up my golden hair into a ponytail, and shouldered my tennis bag. A lot of people stared at me as I walked past, pointing out my bag, and whispering about how I had won the last tournament easily. It hadn't been easy at all. Sometimes, appearances are deceiving.

Just like how romance deceives everyone. Looks easy? Hahaha, could you ever be more wrong?

Recently, my mood had been darkening as Natsu continued dating Lisanna, and the topic of me finding another love became more common in my conversations with Levy. Sarcastic comments in my head, and nasty comments had become more susceptible to come about lately. I hated this me. I wanted to vercome this angry person who was me right now. But somehow, I couldn't. Something was sitting on my chest, and I couldn't get rid of it.

Suddenly, I shrieked as someone ran into me, and sent me sprawling onto the ground. I rubbed my forehead sourly, and repressed the urge to let a stream of swear words fall from my mouth.

"Luce!"

I looked up, and scolded myself for the heart squeeze I got from gazing at Natsu's face. He was looking down at me, an annoyed expression plastered across his face. His uniform was messy; the cardigan was rumpled, the tie crooked, and his hair was disheveled. He held his cell phone in his right hand lazily, and his school bag hung from his left shoulder casually. Girls passing by fawned over the carelessness of his appearance, and rushed away, giggling over his "hotness factor".

His onyx eyes were trained on me, and he extended his hand absentmindedly.

"Don't you have baseball practice today?" I asked him from the floor.

His eye twitched. "Don't you know how to stand up?"

I allowed myself to be picked up off the ground by him, and waited for an answer to my question.

"Baseball club's practice is cancelled today. Coaches have this baseball convention or whatever," he replied in a flat tone, and glanced at his phone as he received a text. He typed in an answer, and glanced at me.

"Uh, look, Luce, I'm in a hurry, all right?"

"Where are you going?"

"Date with Lisanna…we're going to this café, or something. See you sometime later, 'kay?"

No, not okay.

"All right."

He turned away from me, and ran. I watched him leave with envy piercing my heart. He would never be in such a hurry to meet up with me somewhere. And we would NOT see each other sometime later…we hardly even hung out anymore. Natsu Dragneel had a girlfriend. That Natsu Dragneel couldn't waste his free time by spending it with his childhood friend since daycare. Not when he could spend it holding hands with his white-haired, gorgeous soccer club manager girlfriend.

"Heartfilia…practice is starting soon!" a passing girl told me, also from the tennis club.

"Uh, right…!"

I followed closely behind her, gritting my teeth in frustration.

Natsu is an idiot. He is dense. He is stupid. And he's MY childhood friend. He's MY Natsu Dragneel.

* * *

Tennis practice was as strenuous as usual, and I had tried my hardest to concentrate. Although, some people would dare to differ. For instance...

"Heartfilia!"

It was a senpai. Her dark, chocolate hair cascaded won her back in a glossy ponytail, and her delicate hand waved to me furiously. She was one of the nicer upperclassmen - one of the ones who didn't make the first years run laps around the courts just because they were older and had the authority to do so. A look of worry was drawn over her lovely face.

I approached her slowly, a feeling of dread lingeirng the pit of my stomach.

"Yes…senpai?"

"I noticed that you were a little distracted today. Is anything wrong?"

Yes. Indeed there is, my good friend. I am so glad you asked.

My childhood friend is being a total prick, and I want to punch him in the face for it. Also, this guy that I do not like in THAT way is back, and I don't really know how I feel towards him.

I gazed downwards, and shook my head. "No, senpai."

"Are you sure?"

No, I am very, absolutely not sure.

"I'm sure."

"All right, then. But if there's anything bothering you, please share, okay? It won't do any good if you let your personal problems ruin the athletic aspect of your life, would it?"

"No…senpai."

"All right, you can go."

I nodded my thanks, and wandered over to my bag. I sighed heavily, twisted my hair up into a golden ponytail, and shouldered my belongings. Exhaustedly, I pulled out my music player, and inserted the earphones into my ears – obviously. I needed some music to soothe my soul...or something like that. I pressed the power button with a certain grace that made me feel just little bit better. To get happy over turning something on...was stupid.

I looked down at the screen, and arched an eyebrow at the song choice. The song displayed was sung by Vocaloid's GUMI, something called Childhood Blues. The time shown told me that I had listened to it earlier on, but had stopped in the middle of it. Shrugging carelessly, I played it from where it had stopped - I didn't want to leave something started uncompleted. The lilting melody filled my ears, and I carefully paid attention to the lyrics.

"There is something I found out after falling in love

I fell for you even more

I became serious about him, he was always on my mind

I'm not crying, I told you!

I gathered small fragments of courage

For fifty one days

I hope my feelings reach that sky

He has a sour look on his face

He looks uninterested

Anyway

If he hates it so much, wouldn't it be better

If he didn't hang out with me everyday? Jeez!

"It's getting dark and it's dangerous"

You're still treating me like a kid!?

"You won't keep it up for long, anyway"

Yeah, yeah, just watch me!

I wonder if I can be so relaxed because it's you

I hide my love and wish for it to come true

I wish my feelings reach him

Who consoled me every time I had my heart broken

Our puberty hit

And we drifted apart

We got taller and so did our line of sight

A lot of things started changing

It's so hard that we're childhood friends, I feel so uncomfortable

It's so embarrassing, ah…."

I immediately ripped the earphones from my ears, suddenly very aware that the song was describing my life. Now I didn't want to listen to music so much anymore. And that particular song had sounded so nice...

Stupid Natsu. Ruining songs that I like.

I tucked the music player back into my bag, and resolved to walk home in complete silence. I did not want to be reminded of the Great Salmon Head through beautiful songs, and the like. Especially when my relationship with him is less-than-beautiful.

Speaking of the Great Salmon Head, isn't that him crossing the street right now?

Or is the desperation in my love life making me hallucinate?

No.

It's definitely him.

He has headphones clamped over his ears, and his eyes are half closed. A thoughtful expression is engraved onto his facial features, and I can see his lips silently singing along with the song that he is listening to. The sun, not quite setting, but not quite up, either, shone on his pink hair, lighting it up like a rosy fire.

Natsu looked up, and spotted me examining him. A smile spread across his face.

He pulled down his headphones, and said, "Luce!"

What's up jerkity-jerk-jerk?

"Natsu."

"You're finished with practice?"

No. I'm just heading towards the direction to home because my senpais demanded me to run home, and rest before I came back.

"Yeah."

"How was it?"

I was scolded for being distracted because of you.

"Good…how was your date?"

Stupid, stupid me. Was I suddenly becoming masochistic?

Why couldn't I just be honest when I was with Natsu?

"Ah…um…" he murmured. He blushed, and looked away.

I felt unsettled. Why wasn't he answering me?

A horrible idea hit me.

"O-oh! I get it! You guys kissed!"

Say no. Please say no.

Instead of uttering a reply, the boy's face got even redder.

No.

F***ing.

Way.

No!

Inside, I'm having a gargantuan meltdown.

"So what?"

"Huh?"

Natsu looked directly at my face; he was back to looking extremely annoyed.

"It doesn't have anything to do with you if she and I DID kiss, does it?"

I felt hurt. His comment had cut me open like a sharp knife. Basically, Natsu was saying that he didn't need me meddling in his day-to-day events anymore, which could be translated to, "I don't need you."

"Yeah, okay then, Natsu." The statement sounded more bitter than I had intended it to be.

I turned to leave.

"Wait! Luce…"

I wanted very badly to just ignore him, and sprint home. To just run away to a park or something and practice my concentration for tennis or something. Instead, I willed myself to face the salmon-haired boy once more.

"What?"

This time, I kept my voice more level and reasonable. I debated on whether to throw a smile into the mix somewhere, but decided it would be too random.

"Look...I didn't mean it that way, all right? I just…don't want to talk about it, okay?"

Something inside of me snapped. Screw being level! Screw being reasonable! I had taken too much already! I was sick and tired of being so whiny and annoying over Natsu! It was time Lucy Heartfilia showed some of her kickass spirit again!

"Look Natsu," I said harshly. "I don't want to talk about it either, okay!? Do you think I even give a f*** about your love life? Because I don't! Frankly, you're just a dense bastard who can only care about himself, and what he gets! You don't pay attention to anything else, and that makes you f***ing stupid! You whine like a bitch, and you make fun of Taiga, and…and…you don't even talk to me like before anymore! Didn't we make a promise, Natsu!?"

He blinked, surprised my outburst. For a second, I thought he was going to apologize, but... "What promise?"

Oh…he did not just-!

"F*** you," I said, and sprinted the other way, away from home.

Where was I even going?

Red hair.

A smirk.

Mango flavor.

I was going to Sabertooth. And maybe Taiga wasn't even there anymore. Whatever. I could just cry myself to death in front of the school, and hope someone would find my body, and-

Hold it, Lucy Heartfilia! You are NOT dying over something moronic, stupid, doesn't- even-understand-love-until-the-last-minute Natsu Dragneel did to you. You are way better than that. Aren't you?

Of course you are.

You're Lucy Heartfilia, the one who punched Natsu in the face years ago, and-

"Ow!"

I had ran into a wall. Great.

The only bright side was that it was the corner you had to go around to get to Sabertooth. I put one foot forward, and-

Stopped.

I could hear HIS voice. It was slightly soft, but kind of loud. Which meant he was close, but not too close. He was just coming out of the school. This late? What was he doing? That guy, really...

That Taiga Matsumura.

And then, just as I was about to jump out, and rant about the never ending idiocies of Natsu Dragneel, and how I had oh so showed him up, I heard another voice pipe up.

"Thanks for helping me clean up the soccer clubroom, Taiga," a girl's tone said.

I peered around the wall in front of me. Taiga and a girl with short, silvery hair were positioned right in front of a crosswalk. The flame-haired boy was brushing his hair out of his face as he waved off the female's thanks.

"No prob. The smell was getting to me, anyways."

"But still," the girl said, and cocked her head, "thanks. I never expected to see you again after meeting you in fourth grade."

Wait. Fourth grade?

My mind was taken back to that rainy day. Talking to that redhead. Something about…moving on from Mayuka and getting the girl of his dreams?

_There's this girl in Mayuka's school that's pretty hot._

_ She's nice, gentle, kind, and a bit of a nerd…but she's very, very pretty. I've known her since the fourth grade._

My heart felt like it was compressing like a sponge. It was also pounding loudly in my chest as I listened to Taiga bidding the girl good-bye. For a second, I felt like running away. I felt embarrassed to have expected ANYTHING from Taiga.

Hold on. What was I expecting from him anyways? Matsumura didn't even have a special place in my heart or anything. He was a friend who helped me when the going on tough. Nothing more. Nothing less. Right? So why was I doubting that so much right now?

I stepped out from my hiding place.

"Holy crap!" Taiga said, stumbling back. That ALSO reminded me of the rainy day back in middle school. "Lucy? What are you doing here?"

He arched an eyebrow. "Come to pick me up? Don't girlfriends only do that?"

I crossed my arms, and gazed sourly in the distance. "Still leading on girls?"

"Huh?"

"That girl…you're leading her on…"

"You mean Yukino? I wasn't leading her on! I just helped her clean up the soccer club's room, is all."

"Isn't that one of the various ways Taiga Matsumura leads females on?"

He rolled his eyes, and smirked. "So now you're an expert on my behavior?"

"Is that the girl you said was hot?"

"What?"

"Is that the girl you said was in Mayuka's middle school, and was hot, and nerdy, and very pretty, and you knew her since the fourth grade?"

Taiga blinked, and realization flickered across his face. "You still remember that?"

"Yeah. Why? I can't, or what?"

He stared at me for a few more moments, before an arrogant smile spread across his face. "Lucy…does that mean you're jeal-?"

"Shut up, Taiga!" I snapped. I glared at him, and he looked at me in surprise.

"All men are so stupid!" I shouted. "I hate you!"

Angrily, I stormed off.

How could Taiga have the nerve to even SUGGEST that I was jealous of him and that Yukino figure? He was as dense as Natsu was! To think I had even considered him to be of this planet – unlike that JERK OF A PERSON NATSU DRAGNEEL WHO IS FROM ANOTHER GALAXY ENTIRELY! Taiga was the same. Talking to me one moment, and turning around to flirt with another girl the next mo-

I rammed my knee into my house's front gate.

"F***!" I cried out, and slid down to the ground.

I dug my knuckles into the concrete as I realized tears were falling out of my eyes.

Why was I so pissed anyways?

I had acted like a total bitch towards Taiga. My hands grabbed onto locks of my hair, and pulled. How could I do that to him? He had done nothing but console a wretched, annoying me who was hung over a boy who didn't even like me romantically.

Why had I acted like that?

"Taiga Matsumura is MINE," I whispered. "He's MY love advice person. He's MY redhead. HE's MY flame-haired, arrogant bastard."

I am a jerk.

How could I be so _possessive_ of Taiga and Natsu at the same time?

* * *

The next day at tennis practice, my focus had not improved. Once again, I was scolded by the upperclassman, and sent home on a sad note. Life was not working out for Lucy Heartfilia. I resolved to practice my tennis skills once I got home. Dad wasn't such a bad player, after all, and he did know some mean serving tricks that could be useful. Mom and I could even team up against Dad and Igneel. Some quality family time would make things a good deal more pleasant.

Eagerly, I made my way towards the school gate, rubbing my face in exhaustion. A bunch of girls were whispering, giggling, and gossiping at the front entrance, but I ignored them as I gracefully turned towards my neighborhood. Once I passed, the dispersed, still laughing at something unknown. The phrase "hot" and "cool" and "guy" was caught by me, but that only made the topic of their conversation more confusing and curious. At least, unti I had passed the threshold of the school.

Because out there was a very familiar person who was the epitome of hotness and coolness.

"Taiga!?" I said in total disbelief, taking in the undeniable appearance of the famous red-haired boy. He looked up at me, and he was…for the first time in his life, Taiga Matsumura was FLUSTERED. He stood up from the low wall he had been causally sitting on, and gave me a smirk – just for the heck of it, I suspect. The arrogant expression of his face fell, though, as he apparently realized what he was doing – whatever he was doing.

"Luce—I mean, uh, Lucy…" he said, scratching the back of his head. "Uh…hey?"

"What are you doing here?"

He looked around. "Uh...standing?"

I resisted the urge to facepalm myself. "No…sh*t, I meant…what are you doing here at my school waiting for me?"

Taiga smirked. "Aren't you jumping to conclusions thinking that I'm here for you?"

"I swear, Taiga…"

"Okay, look…I'm not here to tease you or anything like that," he said, "About yesterday…"

"Forget about yesterday," I mumbled. "It was nothing."

"Nothing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You said you hated me. That's not "nothing", Lucy."

"Well, I was kidding all right? Just a joke."

I started to walk away, but Taiga grabbed onto my wrist. "Then it's not funny."

"Taiga, let go."

"About yesterday, I'm sorry that I even suggested you were jealous about Yukino and me."

"All right then. Now let go."

"Because I know you'll never get jealous over anything I do with another girl."

I froze.

"What?"

"Okay, Lucy? You'll never be jealous of a love story between Taiga Matsumura and another girl."

I wrenched my hand free of his, and confronted him sourly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He sighed, and ruffled his hair with his hands. It was apparent that he was having a hard time saying what he wanted to say. "After Mayuka dumped me, I thought I would never find someone that I could love again."

I crossed my arms. "Not this again…"

"I was wrong, all right? The truth is…agh…you're not the one who's jealous…I am, okay? I've been jealous of you liking Natsu for a long time, now, okay? You get what I mean"

I blinked. "You mean...you like Natsu?"

He glared at me, and I raised my hands defensively.

"Hey, just shouting out ideas here."

He clenched his jaw, and continued reluctantly.

"I'm only going to announce this once, got it? So you better be listening, Blondie."

Taiga took a deep breath, and said, "I love you, Lucy Heartfilia."

The statement processed through my mind.

Taiga Matsumura, arrogant, smirking, redheaded Matsumura Taiga…LOVED ME!?

My mouth dropped open, and I dropped my bag.

The boy smirked. "Guess you heard me?"

And then I saw him.

My gaze was directed to something behind Taiga.

The flame-haired boy noticed and peered behind him as well.

Natsu Dragneel, the boy with the How-To-Be-A-Jerk expertise, was standing at the front gate. His face was slackened into a look pf pure shock and his cell phone was dangling from his right hand. Suddenly, as he finally noticed us staring at him, his eyebrows scrunched up, and his mouth turned down.

He was angry. His clenched fists, and scowling mouth said so.

With a direct gaze, and a loud voice, he screamed, "WHAT THE HELL, MATSUMURA!?"

* * *

**There it is...the dreaded cliffhanger! Dun...dun...duuuun!**

**Anyways..._VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE: I have set up a poll on my profile concerning the relationship this story will end up with. (Example: TaigaXLucy, NatsuXLucy, etc.) So if you want your favorite couple to win!_** _**VOTE!**_

**This was originally supposed to be a NaLu story, but a lot of you have started to like TaigaXLucy, but there are still a handful of you guys who want NAtsuXLucy in this story...so... I leave it up to you guys! **

**NOTE: If the poll is not yet posted when you visit my profile, then check back later! Because I really need help deciding what couple this story will end up with...**


	12. Chapter 12: Couple Poll

**THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE IS REGARDING THE COUPLE POLL! PLEASE READ!**

**Hello, minna! It's InLoveWithFairyTail! **

**IMPORTANT: I have received many reviews telling me that it is up to me, the author, to make the decision regarding the couple for this story. I am a person who is easily swayed by the readers. As a result, I have ultimately decided that this story will end with NaLu. Ugh. Now I feel like a jerk for putting that poll up. **_**So, so, so, so sorry**_** – I feel like I'm disappointing the whole world. But do not worry, I'm going to start writing **_**a lot of chapters**_** that take on **_**NATSU's POV **_**so that you can get your **_**NaLU spirit back**_**! **_**EVEN IF YOU'RE A TAIGA X LUCY FAN, PLEASE CONTINUE TO READ MY STORY! I'd appreciate it so much! **_

**ANSWERS TO MY REVIEWERS:**

**All Taiga X Lucy fans: I'm sorry! I hope you keep reading my story! Please?**

**Kagome Juh****: I just want to thank you for your reviews. After a LOT of thinking, I realized that you were right. It is up to me to decide and I shouldn't just leave it to my readers just because I've gotten indecisive.**

**xxxFlamingWingsxxx:**** Hey! Thanks for your long reviews! So that's what the word for that fish pastry was! After I wrote that chapter, I was all thinking, and then I was all like, "WAIT A MINUTE! ISN'T TAKOYAKI THAT OCTOPUS BALL THINGY!?" Hahaha, I go the words mixed up! Oh, and about that prologue thing…I initially wrote this story deciding that Lucy is in college or older or something. Prologue refers to the events that happened to her before her present time right now. So she's writing about her life in high school and stuff. So this is the main story. I just use "Prologue" to try to show that Lucy (who is presently in college or is older) is writing about her life in high school, elementary, and middle school. So, basically like a prologue to her life right now. Confusing, I know….:D Thanks for sticking with me throughout this story! **

**Dunyahu: ****I'm glad you'll still read this story even if it's NaLu! I'm going to be writing Natsu's POV mostly from now on so that the readers can see Natsu's line of thinking…(does he even think?) I shall try to make NaLu acceptable again!**

**LovingMyOTP's:**** Thanks for your advice with ending this with NaLu! I'll try my hardest. And I hope that the other readers stick with me as well. After all, the reason they first clicked on this story was because they thought it was NaLU right? Crossing my fingers and hoping people will still like this story.**

**Wolfgang04: ****Thanks for supporting me about NaLu! I think I will have a lot of fun putting these two together somehow! Thanks for your long reviews (I love long reviews) and thanks for reading my story! I hope you keep on reading it! **

**Ai-Sama-Neko:**** Yet another NaLu fan! Thank you so, so, so, so much! :DDD**

**NaLuLover:**** Thanks for always reviewing on my stories!**

**Freak Magnet****: I hope you still continue to read my story even though I've decided for it to be a NaLu! **

**And I'd answer to a lot more**

**But there's a limit to how much I can type without **

**Getting tired…..**

**:D**

**HOPE YOU WILL CONTINUE READING MY STORY!**

**I will try my best to gain fandom for NaLU again.**

**That is my mission for now…**

**Also, I won't be updating for the next two days or so because I'll be busy…this'll be the frist story I update though, so keep on waiting until then!**

**Sorry if you thought this was going to be a new chap…**

**I am not a ninja…I cannot update this story that fast…;D**


	13. Chapter 13: Tenth Grade Part 3

**Hello readers! I just want to thank you for all of the supprt I gained for NaLU and how many of you agreed to continue reading this story! I'm so happy! THANK YOU!**

**And don't worry, just because I'm making this NaLu doesn't mean I will not give Taiga a chance.**

**Disclaimer: I Do not Own Fairy Tail**

**And now...the REAL chapter 12! (And don't forget it's in Natsu's POV)**

* * *

**Prologue Chapter 12: Tenth Grade Part 3 (Natsu's POV)**

"WHAT THE HELL MATSUMURA!?"

My outburst was followed by complete silence. There was only the solitary vibrating sound of my phone from Lisanna's text. I ignored the notification. Lisanna texting me was a daily thing. Someone confessing to Luce was happening right here, right now.

"Excuse me?" that red-haired bastard finally said, raising an eyebrow in amusement. He turned around so that he was confronting me fully. His condescending tone only made my anger flare. Luce stood behind him, her expression one of utter shock and displeasure. Her golden eyebrows were slanted down, and she shot me a look of pure reproach. What had happened yesterday had surprised me to no end; Luce had never yelled at me like that, not even when we were five and I broke her doll accidentally.

"You heard me, bastard," I said, approaching him, and shoving him backwards. He stumbled back, but kept his face tranquil and undisturbed. Matsumura brushed off his shirt, and looked directly into my eyes.

"What's your f***ing problem?" he asked me emotionlessly. His tone was flat, calm, and to the point. It was apparent that he had no intentions of transforming this verbal war into a fistfight.

"THE HELL YOU LIKE HER!" I said into his face, pointing vaguely to Lucy. She blinked angrily, and opened her mouth to say something. Matsumura stepped in before she could start cussing me out (or something).

The jerk smirked, and shoved his hands into his pockets. Without raising his voice or lowering it, he told me, "I said I love her…not like…"

"And how many bitches have you said that to?" I asked, jamming my finger into his chest. We were both the same height – a relief, because if I had been shorter, this whole thing would have been humiliating. His face twitched, and he bit back a scowl.

"What?"

"I said…'How many bitches have you-?"

I was cut off by a punch to my face, and my bag and call clattered to the floor. I almost fell onto my back as I staggered backwards; when I had regained my balance, I heaved upwards, and threw my fist into Matsumura's mouth. He didn't grunt in pain, but the blood streaming down his chin said a lot more than 'ouch' would have. His eyes narrowed as he pulled back his hand and surveyed the redness of it.

"What the f***?!" he yelled at me. "Are you accusing me of being some heartless player?!"

"Like you don't bring a different chick into your apartment everyday!" I shot back.

"I live in a house dumbass!" Matsumura growled, and gave me a good hit to the nose. I ignored the steady stream of blood that I knew was trickling out of my nose, and gave him a drop kick that sent him sprawling onto the ground.

"AND I'M NOT A F***ING PLAYER!" he shouted, springing up from the ground to punch me in the stomach. I felt the air leave my lungs, and I bent over. Matsumura took the opportunity to punch my back so that _I_ was the one who fell on the pavement.

All intentions of this not being a fistfight were gone. I had provoked him enough.

"AND WHAT DOES IT MATTER TO YOU IF I CONFESSED TO LUCY ANYWAYS?!" he yelled, coming to meet my fist with his forearm. "You have a girlfriend, remember!?"

I froze for a second, and then brought up my leg to-

"NATSU!"

I stopped mid-kick, and stared as Luce strode towards me with rage written all over her facial features. She shoved me back, and I fell down.

"What the hell is your problem?!" she cried, glaring at me. "Why the f*** are you so angry that you could have earned Taiga stitches to the mouth!?"

I looked into her eyes from the floor, and balled up my fists as I prepared to answer her question.

"Luce!" I yelled. "I told you not to involve yourself with him!"

"I can talk to whoever I want to!" she shot back. "It's not like you're around to even care!"

"I do care!"

"And why the f*** is that?" Matsumura asked me, wiping the blood from his lips. His eyes were full of disgust as he looked down at me. "If I were the heartless bastard player that you're trying to make me out to be, I would have dumped Lucy a long time ago…you didn't act out before when you saw me talking to her…why is only now when I'm confessing to her that you're sticking your big ass head in to interfere?"

My childhood friend shot the guy a glare, too, a signal for him to STOP.

"Luce is important to me!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Luce flinch slightly. Then she stiffened, and then her shoulders slouched. It was as if she was having some kind of internal conflict with herself.

"Important how? Important enough that you're trying to ruin her chances of a relationship even though you yourself is in one?" he asked, giving me an icy stare. Lucy bit her lip, and tugged on the guy's sleeve, trying to get him to calm down, and stop him from talking any further.

"You've got a freaking girl walking around with you every-!"

"You ever seen me do that?"

"What?"

"Look, f***ing idiot, I've only had one girlfriend in my whole, entire life…the one girl I truly liked…my first girlfriend Mayuka…and Luce Is the second girl I've ever loved…I even love her more than my first girl…so would you just f***ing shut up about me being around other girls?"

Grudgingly, I shut my mouth. It was true that I had never seen him fooling around with other girls. He only talked to them. And even then he didn't even flirt with them. I was making up lies again.

And sh*t. It might be because of THAT that I'm lying.

Sh*t. Sh*t. Sh*t.

I wiped the blood from my nose, and stood up. Crap. I needed get out of there. Quickly. But a part of me wanted to stay.

Here. I'll explain why.

When we were little, I was pretty famous for gaining all kinds of scratches and injuries. Skinned knees, broken bones, scraped fingers, bleeding nose, fractures…you name it. The cause of it all was baseball, and climbing trees. (I liked to pretend that I was a dragon most of the time. When Lucy would explain to me about the "wonderful" tale of Sleeping Beauty…I'd root for the dragon.)

Igneel was crappy at first aid, and so was Luce's dad. Their definition of 'bandaging a scraped knee' is getting a whole roll of white, hospital-style bandages, and wrapping miles of it around your f***ing knee. So, instead of going to Layla, who was much better at peeling a band-aid and sticking it on your leg, I went to Lucy, who'd always sigh exasperatedly.

But then, she'd get out her hair tie, and twist up her hair into a ponytail, and tell me to sit on the corner of her bed. Not near the headboard Natsu, the CORNER! You're sitting on Mr. Bunny, IDIOT FACE!

After her lecture about the proper place to sit, she'd get out her antiseptic, wipe off my wound, and then plaster the bandage onto my scratch. Then she would pat my head, dub me 'good Natsu', and ask if I wanted to play video games or somethin'.

Now, I looked as she pat Matsumura's back, and pointed to his lips to ask if he wanted to come over to her house to clean it off.

"Luce," I said, and when she looked at me with her brown eyes, I paused. What was I about to ask, really? Can you come over to MY house to clean off MY wounds? It would just make me remember. And Remembering was bad. Very bad, Natsu. Very, very, very bad. And what would be her response? I wanted to ask the question just to find out what it would be. Would she slap me across the face, and declare me a jerk-douche who cared about nobody but himself? That I had nearly sent someone to a hospital room, and that I didn't deserve to heal from my wounds? I hesitated, and then cast my eyes downward. "I'm going home."

"Sure, "she said quietly, and said more loudly to Matsumura. "C'mon Taiga…I've got some antiseptics back at my place…"

I couldn't watch them leave together, so instead, I bent down to pick up my fallen cell phone and school bag. The tiny contraption buzzed again with a new message, and I looked at the screen dazedly.

[TakeOverMageLisanna: U want 2 meet up?]

What the f*** was a takeover mage anyways? I held my forehead in my left hand as I texted her back,

[SummerEqualsNatsu: Not rite now. Baseball prac drained me]

Lying again. Not good Natsu. How hateful, Natsu. You're the worst, Natsu. I tucked my cell back into my pocket, and scowled as I saw the redhead and the blonde in front of me. They were walking slowly enough so that a turtle could have beaten them in a footrace. Dragging my feet on the ground, and leaning forward, I began to sprint home, ignoring the stab in my heart as I passed the two individuals, and turning around several corners before I reached the safety of my home. I threw the metal gate open, and waltzed into the front yard.

Old Pops (A/N: Thanks to xxxFlamingWingsxxx for suggesting I get Natsu to call Igneel Pops!) was bent over his rose bush – a very unlikely hobby for such a…brute like him – and he brought his head up as I sauntered in. I became very aware of the dried, red liquid smeared across my cheek, and winced as I met his face fully.

"What..happened?"

I glanced at him, brought my head down, and answered, "Nothin'."

"Don't give me that 'nothing' crap! There's blood on your face!"

"I fell."

"Do you expect me to fall for that half-assed answer!? Natsu get back he-!"

I opened the front door, and grabbed the peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the kitchen table as I walked in. I took a bite out of it as I trudged up the stairs, flung open my bedroom door, and threw myself down onto the bed. My forehead was pounding, and I dropped the sandwich back onto its plate on the nightstand. Pops wouldn't follow me up. He believed very much in the 'wonderful work of the guilty conscience'. I would come down soon enough, and explain what would happen, he concluded. No need to go up there himself and get a few more stupid, idiotic, f***ing lies.

I went into the bathroom adjoined to my room and washed the blood from my nose and hands. My spikes had fallen from the sweat that was dripping from my brow, and so I grabbed a hairpin and shoved my bangs back with it. Looking at me now, with water dripping off my cheeks like tears, my upper lip stained with the faintest bloodstain, and my cheek looking like it was going to turn black and blue…I appeared pathetic. Like an- immature- guy- fighting- over- another- girl- when- he- already- had- someone pathetic.

Why couldn't I just be happy with a beautiful girlfriend by my side and a happy love life in my reach? Not even in my reach. In my HAND. I felt my cell vibrate in my pocket. I withdrew it and read the new message displayed on the small screen.

[TakeOverMageLisanna: K then. C U on Sat.?]

I debated over whether to answer or not.

[SummerEqualsNatsu: K]

My heart didn't skip a beat as I realized how short and curt the reply seemed. I wasn't worrying over Lisanna's reaction much. WHY? I refused to think of the obvious possibility that I had fallen for-

"Hey! I love Lucy!"

I jumped, and grabbed my chest as my heart began to pound.

"Dad?" I asked in a shaky voice. It had been his voice that had voiced the statement.

"_I Love Lucy _is on! Ah, love this show!"

My heart was pounding in my chest, and I tried to swallow down my panic. Crap. Crap. Crap! Not this again. Not after I had tried so hard! I wiped the sweat from my brow, and took a few deep breaths. Just calm down Natsu. Think this through.

I liked Lisanna.

I asked Lisanna out because I liked her.

Lisanna is beautiful.

She is the object of all boys' dreams…

Why wasn't I happy with Lisanna?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Because.

Because I loved her.

Loved who?

Loved?

No, love.

I love her.

I love Lucy.

So much that I wanted to cry right now.

And I thought I had suppressed those feelings.

I thought I had stuffed them into the deepest part of my heart, and had forgotten them for good.

I had been horribly wrong.

And I thought it was fine that I would just ignore my emotions for her.

Until Taiga Matsumura had come in.

Until he had come in and reminded me of everything.

My anger compressed into a little ball and expanded. It flowed out through my fingertips, and I stood up and hit the nearest thing with my clenched fist.

"AAGH!"

Dad's expensive vase that he had bought just for me tilted over and crashed to the floor.

I ignored the small pieces that I stepped on as a voice resounded up the stairs.

"NATSU! WHAT WAS THAT!? IF IT WAS THE VASE, I SWEAR I WILL-!"

F***.

Where's the glue?

* * *

**And that is the end of this chapter...I will reveal the reason why Natsu suppressed his feelings for Lucy...soon...maybe...not guaranteed it will be in the next chapter...or will it? ^.^**

**Please review!**

**Until the next chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14: Tenth Grade Part 4

**I know what you are all thinking...what took me so long to update!?**

**Sorry, sorry, and I haven't updated my other stories in a while!**

**I've sorta hit a writer's block with my stories, and I jus trecently got an idea for the new chapter for this one...and by recently...I mean today. **

**This chapter's short, but I hope you like it!**

**NOTICE HOW IT'S IN LUCY'S POV!**

* * *

**Prologue Chapter 13: Tenth Grade Part 4 (Lucy's POV)**

"Sorry about that," I said as I rummaged around the kitchen drawers for the first aid kit my Dad usually kept lying around. Taiga sat at the kitchen table, letting his red eyes wander around the room. For some reason, I wanted to dash over to the refrigerator and cover up my childhood drawings I had drawn when I was only five. They were horrible; the faces were deformed, the skin was colored with yellow crayon, and the smiles looked grotesque. No matter how much my mother had crooned over it, and my dad had assured me it was superb for a little kid, I just had to cringe whenever I saw it. It was truly horrible. I waited for a sarcastic comment from Taiga, but none came. When I turned with the finally-found-first-aid-kit, he was touching his bloodstained mouth, and he looked up at me.

"Don't make that kind of disgusted face," he said flatly. I hadn't realized I was until he had mentioned it. My brow smoothed out and I grabbed the washcloth I had found in the hallway closet.

For the first time, Taiga Matsumura was talking to me without a smirk on his face, or a slightly amused tone to his voice. I could feel the anger that seeped out of him, and his eyes shone with rage. Silently, I wet the cloth under the sink faucet.

"Why did you stop me?" he asked, and I stiffened. "I could have beaten the sh*t out of your childhood friend."

"Well, well, well," I said, "Taiga Matsumura is cussing at last…must be some occasion for him to do so."

When I turned around, no amusement shone in his eyes, and he only gave me a glare of accusation.

"Protecting me is like signaling to that pink-haired dumbass that I've lost," he said, and swore as more blood streamed from his lip. I approached him cautiously, and I bit my lip as he made no move to stop me from wiping his mouth with the wet rag. He didn't move at all, and I slowly became more aware of my heart's loud beats. I could feel the warmth of Taiga's lips under the cloth, and my heart rate picked up.

"You shouldn't have started a fight in the first place," I said, "and you should definitely not have shown me that Natsu is willing to fight for me."

"He wasn't fighting for you," Taiga replied in his blunt tone again, "He was fighting for his own selfish ass."

My whole arm became rigid as he said so, and I pulled back my hand from his face. Taiga looked directly into my eyes, and didn't look away. You would think a boy who had just confessed to his own crush would act slightly more different, but perhaps Matsumura was a different species entirely. I was the first to break the eye contact as I slid my gaze down to his mouth. "Your lip is cut…not too serious though. It won't need stitches, which is a relief. I guess you took so many blows to the face that it started to bleed more than it should-"

"Are you trying to make me feel better, or worse, Lucy?"

I fell silent at the query. "I'm just worried about you, Taiga."

The redhead held his heads in his hands, and I extended out a cotton ball to him. "Here…press this to the cut…"

He made no move to accept the offering, and I quickly scanned the rest of his face, which was partly hidden due to his 'holding his head in his hands'.

"Look up, Taiga…I haven't finished-"

"So…are you willing to go out with me?" he asked, lifting his head suddenly. The inquiry shocked me all over again, and I found that I could not move.

"Taiga…"

"I love you, Lucy."

I bit my lower lip, and gathered enough courage to lift my head. But my vision was suddenly blurred as something hit my face. Something soft was on my lips, and there was something tickling my forehead; a reassuring heat emanated from what – or who – was in front of me, and I breathed in the scent of fresh rain and cinnamon. A metallic taste spread throughout my mouth as the feeling continued, and I blinked rapidly. Taiga's blood. Taiga's hair was brushing against my forehead, his lips were on mine, and the heat from his body was warming me. I felt light-headed as the blood rushed up to my cheeks, and I made a noise of surprise against his lips.

As soon as I did that, Taiga pulled back, and grabbed the cotton ball I had offered him earlier. He pressed it to his mouth, and said nothing, but, "Did you like it?"

"I…I'm sorry, Taiga…I can't date you. I can't use you like that to get over Natsu-"

"You're mistaken, Lucy," Taiga whispered, and I looked up as he stood up and grabbed his things. He gazed into my eyes, and said, "I'll kiss someone I love, but no matter how much I love a girl, I won't date her if she doesn't love me back."

He headed for the front door, and when his hand was on the knob, he glanced back at me. It appeared as if he wanted to say something more, but he decided against it, and left.

Never in the fifteen years of my life, have I ever considered that my first kiss would be with someone other than Natsu…and taste like blood.

* * *

**:O Are you all shocked, or did you expect something like this to happen?**

**This is kind of the first time I showed Taiga angry...usually, he's so calm, cool, and collected...**

**Well, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Until the next chapter!**


	15. Chapter 15: Summer Part 1

**I realized the mistake I made last chapter! That was Lucy's SECOND kiss with Taiga, not her first! thanks for those who pointed that out to me! Thanks for all of you who reviewed!**

**Just change the last sentence of the last chapter to "Never in my fifteen years of life have I imagined my second kiss to be with anyone other than Natsu...and to taste of blood. "**

**I really messed up last chapter...hahaha**

**WEll, anyways...**

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Fairy Tail!**

**Only Taiga Matsumura, since he is indeed an OC.**

**And please enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Prologue Chapter 13: Summer Part 1**

(Lucy's POV)

Despite what happened between Taiga and Natsu, the rest of the weeks after their physical fight were pretty uneventful. Soon, the weather grew unbearably hot, and the students of every high school were freed for summer vacation. Two weeks in, after realizing I had nothing to do at all, our doorbell rang. I got up from the couch, where I had been busy positioning myself between the fan and my dad, and declared that I would open it. When I did, my heart leapt to my mouth. Natsu was outside.

"Hey," he said casually, peering into my home. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the beach?"

"Who are you going with?" I asked in return.

"Um…Gray, Loke, Jet, Droy,Wendy, Gajeel – he's leaving from his own place with a couple of his friends , so we'll meet him there with his dad - …um, Sting and Rogue – they're from Sabertooth – Igneel, and if you're going…I'm guessing a few more people? Oh, and Lisanna, Mira, and Elfman are coming…just in a separate car from all of us. They said they'll meet us there."

"I…um…"

The prospect of seeing Lisanna in a bikini as all the guys drooled over her was nauseating.

"We'll go!"

I jumped. Dad was right behind me, smiling under his mustache. "We've all be suffering in this stuffy house for weeks!"

"Two weeks, dear," Layla corrected, and nodded. "It'd be nice to get out of the house, though. What do you say, Lucy?"

"Okay, all right."

"Go get packed then, and call whoever you need to," Natsu said. "We'll be waiting."

I noticed that he was trying to not make eye contact with me. Maybe he was still pissed off about that whole Taiga thing after all.

"I'll be back."

I heard the clamor of my parents getting ready as I rushed upstairs and slammed everything I needed into a satchel. Finally, I grabbed my phone, threw myself onto my bed, and made two calls. The first one was to Levy, who squealed when she heard Gajeel was coming, and Erza was just glad that she could finally get out of her air conditioner – less home.

When those calls were made, I sat on my bed, staring at my cell, until I finally came to a conclusion. I grabbed my bag, rushed downstairs, and blinked at all the people gathered outside my house. There would be fifteen in all when Erza and Levy, and that person got here. IF that person got here. I ran to my front gate, opened it, and found Sting and Rogue, who looked confused – or in Sting's case, creepy – as I approached them.

"Do you have Taiga's phone number?" I asked, not really directing the question towards a specific one of the two. Sting snorted in disgust, but Rogue dug into his pocket.

"Yeah," he said, "We're in the soccer club together."

He scrolled through his contacts, found the boy's number and let me look at it as I dialed it into my phone. I silently gave him my thanks, and walked away, clamping the phone against my right ear.

Maybe this was a horrible idea, after the scuffle Natsu and he had gotten into, but to go somewhere without inviting him felt wrong. Besides, after I had treated his wounds that day, and he had kissed me a second time (A/N: I'm sorry! I remembered after I had published the previous chapter that that was her second kiss with Taiga, not her first!), we had hardly even talked to each other. Part of that reason was because he went to another school, but I remembered seeing him a few times at the park, but he hadn't even stopped by to say hello.

I bit my lip as the rhythmic buzzing of the phone resonated in my ear, and I almost yelped when that familiar voice sounded. Phones are weird. They change the way a person sounds, and to my voice, the telephone does something that makes it sound all high and stuff. But with Taiga's, his tone sounds almost the same. Deep, smooth, and flawless. "Hello?"

I could almost imagine him sitting at his desk or something, reading something for summer homework. He's wearing glasses or something, and he's spinning his pencil in his right hand as he tips his head towards his cell…

"Hello - o?"

"Oh! Um! Taiga?"

"Lucy? Is that you?"

"Yeah."

"How'd you get my number?"

"From Rogue."

"Ah. So…what's up?"

"I, um, was just wondering if you'd like to go to the beach with me, and thirteen other people?"

"Thirteen?"

"Fifteen in all if you decide to come."

"Who's gonna be there?"

"Um, me, Natsu, Wendy, Loke, Gray, Jet, Droy, Sting, Rogue, Levy, Erza, Igneel – Natsu's dad -, my Dad, and my Mom. When we get to the beach, Gajeel and his friend'll be there, and so will Lisanna and her cousins."

"That's a pretty big group…"

"Well, yeah…so are you going to come?"

"I-!"

"C'mon…please?"

"Fine. I'll get my stuff packed and be there in about…five minutes?"

"Sounds good."

We really were a big group. Since there were three adults, and twelve other teenagers, we decided to take three cars. Five to a vehicle. This seemed like a great plan…until I found out who my group consisted of. I was going to be riding with my Mom…and Natsu and Taiga and Levy.

If it had been Dad, he would have whined and protested until he got me in the front and whoever in the back, but Mom's a sucker for love and whatnot. She forced me to sit in the back with Taiga and Natsu. But the two guys refused to sit next to each other, so I was left with the middle seat, which was uncomfortable. Levy smirked at me as she climbed into the front seat.

Taiga climbed into the seat on my left, and Natsu, on my right. Since the two guys have broad shoulders and muscular figures, it was a tight fit in between them. As soon as we left on the road, I was already hot and tired. Taiga said nothing as we traveled on the way, he only plugged in his earphones, turned on his music player, and was soon immersed in a thick book about high school exams. My planned conversation with him to heal our friendship was ruined. So, I decided that maybe I should recover my lost childhood-friend-relationship with Natsu, but he was zoned out as he stared out of the window. What was more, he had headphones clamped over his ears, so there was no way he could hear me.

Levy was deeply intrigued in a romance novel she was reading, and gave me poisonous glare whenever I dared to puncture her careful concentration. I soon realized I was going to be very lonely on this trip.

When the car turned right, I bumped into Natsu, who looked at me with an expression that said he couldn't care less. When it swerved right, I slammed into Taiga, who gave me an amused smirk that somehow accused me of being clumsy. And when Mom slammed her foot down on the brakes, I would heave forward, and accidentally bump my forehead into Levy, who would shake her head at me, and continue to read.

Otherwise, the rest of the time, I was trying to decide which made me more nervous…that my left arm was pressed up against Taiga's right one, or that my right one was pressed against Natsu's left one. Neither guy seemed to care though. When Mother finally threw a glace behind her shoulder and announced, "We're almost there", I felt a huge wave of relief pull me under.

It took about ten minutes for us to find parking spaces all near each other, and we were greeted by the sea breeze as soon as we had trundled out of the car. We heaved our stuff out of the car trunks, and slung the bags over our shoulders. Natsu volunteered to carry the beach umbrella while Taiga helped with the ice chest.

"That was a painful drive," I groaned when I had caught up with Erza and Levy.

"As least you didn't get stuffed in with Gray, Loke, Jet, and Sting," Erza said distastefully. I immediately felt sorry for her. Gray, with his peculiar habit of stripping; Loke, with his unending attempts to flirt with the nearest girl to him; Sting, with his creepy, flirtatious demeanor; and Jet, with his girl-crazy personality – although the only girl who truly caught his attention was Levy.

"Yeah, but…" I said in an exhausted voice. "It was awkward."

"For you. Matsumura seemed really into that exam book thingy, and Natsu was even tapping his fingers on the windowsill along with the rhythm of his song…you were probably the only one who was uncomfortable."

"I – that is probably true."

I sighed as we stepped onto the sand at last. We drew closer to the shoreline, and as we did, Nasu and Taiga were beginning to attract a lot of female attention.

"Do you see those two guys right there?"

"Oh Mavis, those guys are so hot."

"That red-haired dude is totally my type."

"I think the pink-haired one is hotter."

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

The pair of boys seemed oblivious to the gossip surrounding them as they set up the umbrella, spread a sheet onto the sand, and opened up the beach chairs. All at once, our entire group fell into a chair, or collapsed onto the ground. The car ride here had apparently worn all of us out.

Taiga pulled at the collar of his shirt. His neck was shining with sweat. "I think I'm going for a swim. Sting? Rogue?"

Sting sneered at the redhead, but Rogue agreed.

Natsu gestured to Gray and the others, as well. "I think I can use a swim, too."

The eyes of hundreds of girls were suddenly centered on the pink head and the red head as the guys reached for the bottom of their shirts, and pulled up. It was as if the fourth of July had arrived early as they drew off their shirts, and let the sunlight warm their muscular backs and chests. They were well toned, and slim.

Igneel handed a bottle of sun block to his son, and did the same to Taiga. Girls around us swooned as they lathered the protective sunscreen onto their skin.

I could feel my own cheeks warming at the sight of them, but I quickly turned away as Levy tapped my shoulder.

"Lu – chan…are you also wearing your swimsuit under your clothes?"

"Um…er…yeah," I answered, slightly flustered.

"Then, let's go, as well."

"Um…"

Even the thought of taking off my clothes, even if there was a bikini underneath, in front of these guys made my whole face hot.

"Lucy, c'mon, what are you waiting for?"

"Fine," I said, and grabbed the bottom of my shirt.

* * *

(Natsu's POV)

I looked up in time to see Luce pulling her shirt over her head. For a moment, I let the image process through my mind, and the next moment, I was trying to control my panic. The guys around us were checking my childhood friend out. She pulled down her pants, and revealed the matching striped bottom of the swimsuit. In the past few years, she had really gone through a…growth spurt. My whole face went as hot as a furnace when I saw the top part of her bikini, and I had to turn away. I hid my boiling cheeks with my right hand, and pretended to gaze out towards the ocean.

I threw a quick glance at Matsumura, and then did a double take. His cheeks were as red as his hair, and he was turned away as well. He wasn't covering his face like I was doing, but was staring at a flock of seagulls with a sudden interest.

What was I going to do?

"C'mon, Gray…Loke, let's go to the water," I announced and strode away. I could hear Matsumura beckoning his Sabertooth friends, as well. I sprinted into the waves and continued to walk forward into the water until it tose just to my chest. Taiga was a few feet to the left of me, and he ducked under a wave that slammed into my face at full force. I spluttered on the salty water, and shook a string seaweed off of my arm. Agh.

I slapped some cold water onto my face, and calmed as my cheeks cooled. I took another look at Luce. Just my friend. Just my childhood friend. In a swimsuit. Hey, Erza was in a suit too, and so was-

"Natsuuuu!"

I turned, and let out a soft "oof" as Lisanna collided into my back. I could feel the stares of dozens of people around us, mostly guys – who were staring enviously at me while checking out my girlfriend.

"Hey there…" I said, and smiled as she slid her hands around my neck. "Hey, sure you're not going to choke me there?"

"Haha,"she said softly. I turned, and my whole face heated up again. I wasn't prepared to see her in a swimsuit.

"You look…amazing."

"Natsu! Goggling at my younger cousin while she's in her bikini is not being a MAN!" Elfman shouted from the shore.

"Elf – nii," Lisanna groaned, and drew her in closer. Our faces inched towards each other. Her lips puckered out and mine did as well. We were almost kissing until a wave slammed into us.

I heard laughing behind us, and I became upset when I saw that it was Luce. She slapped her hands over her mouth, waved, and turned, her face turning beet red.

I splashed Lisanna, who yelped, and splashed me back. We did that for a while until all of our friends gathered and started to do it, too. I pursed my lips as Matsumura and Lucy bumped into each other. And then jumped as the blonde slipped, and pursed again as he caught her.

I took the moment to send a torrent of water at them. It hit Matsumura squarely in the face. I gave a goofy grin, until he kicked up a good amount of ocean water right back at me. What started as a few splashed quickly became an ocean war, as we threw handfuls,, bucketfuls, and who-knows-fuls of water as each other. By the time we straggled onto land, I was gasping for breath, and he was, too.

"You could have both drowned each other," the blonde said, rolling her eyes, and sauntering away.

Lisanna touched my shoulder, and smiled. "I think you did great."

"Thanks, but you're probably on my side only because you love me."

"Yeah, probably."

"Hey…"

"Hahahaha."

* * *

(Lucy's POV)

We hurried off to find the nearest bathroom, and changed our clothes quickly. When I came out, wearing my short sleeved shirt, and shorts, I felt like I was freezing into a popsicle. The only ones outside were Natsu, Taiga, Levy, Erza, and Gray. The others were probably still dressing. It was already the afternoon, and I tried not to shiver too much as I approached them. I shot a jealous look at Natsu's white sweater before I took my place beside them.

A light breeze caressed my hair, and I involuntarily shook, and then sneezed. Hopefully, this wasn't the signs of a cold. I held onto my arms tightly, and blinked when something white was shoved into my arms.

"Wear it," Natsu said gruffly. "You're cold, right?"

I held on tightly to what he had just handed me, trying to keep my emotions under control, and finally lifted the sweater to put it on. But I was shaking so much from the wind that I found trouble in wearing it. Finally, after a few minutes of struggling, Taiga sighed, and turned towards me.

He was wearing a gray shirt with a maroon cardigan over it. Despite the formality of his shirts, he was just wearing sweatpants – that looked incredibly warm. He was also wearing a beanie over his almost-dry hair.

"Give it."

I blinked, and handed over the jacket. He spent a few minutes sorting it out, and then, without warning, he pulled it over my head. I could feel his knuckles grazing my temples, then my shoulders, and then my arms. Wherever his hands made contact with my skin, a warm and cozy heat prickled. Despite just having spent a couple of hours at the beach, he amazingly still smelled like rain and cinnamon. Natsu's sweater smelled like the sharp scent of peppermint and faintly like chili peppers. How could guys always manage to own the best of natural smells?

"There," he said in exasperation, and then he pulled the hat off his head, and plopped it on mine. He pulled the beanie over my ears, and examined me carefully. "Feel warmer?"

I didn't trust myself to speak, so instead, I nodded.

I heard Natsu clear his throat. "That's good, then."

The two aromas of the boys' belongings battled against each other. One moment, I was smelling rain and cinnamon, and the next, I was smelling something fresh and spicy.

* * *

"Where should we go to eat?" asked Taiga as we loaded into our cars.

"We're going to eat at an outside ramen shop," Mom announced. We were all hungry, so none of us argued.

* * *

The ramen was good, eating outside was a change, and when we were done eating, we all went off to look at some things in shops.

"Stay in groups, you…uh…fifteen!" Mom ordered.

We listened. I grouped with Levy and Erza, and somehow I ended up being with Taiga and his friends as well. In a bakery/ candy shop, where we looked at the various things they sold, we encountered Natsu, and Lisanna.

"Hi, you guys!" the white-haired girl chirped.

"Hey."

Natsu didn't turn to look at us. He just kept looking at some lollipops.

Giving into my desire for some suckers, I stood beside them and looked at them, too. Lisanna and Taiga joined us while the others milled around the aromatic shop.

"There're so many flavors!" Lisanna said in a breathy voice.

"I'm going to get mango," Taiga declared, "You want, Lucy?"

I was about to answer, when someone interrupted.

"She doesn't like mango," Natsu said coldly, and for the first time since I had arrived, he looked towards us, but not at me, at Taiga. He looked the redhead straight in the eyes, and repeated, "She hates mango."

"Well-" Taiga began. I couldn't help but notice Lisanna's worried face as she looked up at her boyfriend. What was Natsu doing?

"Actually, I think I'll get it," I said quickly, cutting into their beginning argument. "Um, one mango lollipop please!"

The lady immediately took one and handed it to me. I thanked her for it, and strode away.

The rest of our group finished their purchases, and as soon as we hit the sidewalk outside, I unwrapped my candy and began to eat it. The overwhelming, yet sweet flavor of artificial mango filled my mouth. My taste buds perked up. At first, they told me, "Ew…how could you betray us like this?"

But after about two minutes, they reconsidered. "Okay, it's not…that bad…"

After five minutes, Taiga bumped lightly into my shoulder, and I gazed up at him.

"How does it taste?" he asked me.

"Just barely made it into the 'good' range," I lied. He smirked. I know that he knows that I'm lying.

Levy turned around to me and offered me a cinnamon bun. I took it, and split it in half. I gave some to Taiga, who took it without questioning me if it was all right for him to take it. I bit into the sweet pastry and the taste of cinnamon overpowered any other flavor in my mouth. I smiled.

"It's good, huh?" Taiga asked, referring to the cinnamon bun.

"Delicious," I said, smiling. "Now if only it would rain."

"That'd be cool."

"It'd be awesome."

* * *

**Whew...that was a long chapter...**

**Anyways, did you guys like the ending of the chapter?**

**She's eating a cinnamon bun and wishing it would rain? What does Taiga smell like? Cinnamon and rain! :)**

**I hate to admit it, but Natsu was being a total idiot in this chapter. One minute, flustered over Lucy, the next flrting with Lisanna...! this pink-haired guy drives me off a cliff...!**

**Well, please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter!**

**Until next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16: Summer Part 2

**Prologue Chapter 15: Summer Part 2 (Alternating POVs)**

**{Because I'm scared…}**

(Natsu's POV)

_"It's fine, Natsu…I'm fine…"_

I woke up feeling hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable. Slowly, I sat up, rubbed my eyes of sleep, and looked out my open window at the neighborhood below. There were already kids outside, packing up their things to go somewhere where the summer heat wouldn't get in the way of their fun. As I sat there, staring as one kid pushed the other kid roughly – only to be scolded by their mother – I began to wonder about the dream I had just had. I couldn't remember what it had been about, but I felt like it had been about something important. Heaving a frustrated sigh, I got up, went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, and finally headed downstairs to get some breakfast. As soon as I entered the kitchen, I saw Pops, and I said, "Morning, Dad."

He jumped a few inches into the air, and turned around to greet me back – but not before I saw him hide something behind his back.

"M-morning, Natsu!"

"What do you have behind you?" I asked, grabbing the milk carton from the refrigerator, and pouring myself some milk into a glass. I gulped it down, and plopped the cup into the sink, where I washed it until it was clear and sparkling.

"Ahaha, just some…j – junk mail…" he replied in a faux cheery voice. He cautiously slipped the letter into his pants pocket, but I didn't let the matter go.

"Dad…what is it?" I asked.

"Some bills…you don't have to worry-"

"I thought you said it was junk mail."

This seemed to be the line that utterly defeated him, because, very reluctantly, he pulled the envelope out of his pocket, and handed it over to me hesitantly. I grabbed it from him, and examined the cream – colored, gold-trimmed envelope.

There was no return address. Just ours.

I reached inside and withdrew the letter. The paper was stiff, smelled of an aromatic perfume, and was decorated over and over with gold and silver motifs. The typing was also nice – black cursive, just the right font size. I ran my thumb along the edge of the paper before I fully unfolded it. As my eyes flitted over the contents, my heart practically froze. By the end of the message, my mouth was dry, and I was feeling sick inside. I checked the back of the paper to see if there were any additional notes.

None whatsoever.

"You're kidding me right?!" I said to Pops, my hands trembling as I dropped the letter and the disgusting envelope it had come in. "This is all some kind of sick joke, isn't it?!"

"Natsu…it's time that she moved on, and I don't think she meant to-"

"No! She's screwing with me, isn't she?! What the f*** is it with this letter?! I won't accept this! I can't!"

"Natsu…please, this is hard for all of us-!"

"Hard!?" I screamed, and picked the beautifully decorated paper. "Are you telling me she found it hard to send us a damn paper filled with sparkles about THIS?!"

"Natsu! Enough, I-!"

"Shut up! This is all YOUR fault, anyways!" I yelled. I turned around, and opened the front door, preparing to slam it closed behind me.

"NATSU! You come back here right now!"

"F*** you!" I yelled back, and began to sprint out of my neighborhood.

* * *

(Lucy's POV)

I was eating a couple of chocolate chip pancakes – my favorite – when it happened. Just as I was about to ask Dad to pass the maple syrup over, an outburst so loud that everyone in Japan must have heard it resounded from Natsu's house.

"Hard?! Are you telling me she found it hard to send us a damn paper filled with sparkles about THIS?!"

I froze, and I could hear my mom and dad tense up as well as we all strained to listen.

"Natsu! Enough, I-!"

Igneel.

"Shut up! This is all YOUR fault anyways!"

Natsu.

I quickly got up from the table despite my mother's protests, and ran out of the house. I opened the front gate just as Igneel was screaming, "Natsu! You come back here right now!"

"F*** you!" Natsu shouted back.

I blinked as he darted past me. I tried to reach for him, but he was too fast. Damn it. Of course he was. He practiced running just about everyday in baseball practice.

I exited my front yard, and ran over to Igneel, who was kneeling on the ground in total despair.

"Igneel? What happened?"

The redheaded man glanced up at me, raised his hands, and tried to answer, but all that came out was a little strangled noise. "I KNEW I should have hid it before he found it!"

"What are you-?"

"Lucy! Go find him!" Igneel demanded suddenly. "I think – I think you'll have a better chance in talking to him than I will."

"What? But I-!"

"Please, Lucy! This…this is important. Super important. Please…find him."

Igneel looked so lost that I couldn't bring myself to say no.

"All right. I think I might know where he is."

I slid down the grassy slope, and approached the place where Natsu was sitting just before the river. He had his head in his hands, and when I stood in front of him, I could tell he knew I was there, but he said nothing.

"Natsu," I said. "What happened?"

Or a long moment, he didn't answer, and so I sat down beside him. I tucked my knees below my chin, and plucked a grass blade from the ground. Finally, Natsu looked up, but he didn't direct his gaze towards me; he stared straight ahead at the river before him, but I could see that he really wasn't seeing anything.

"My mom's remarrying," he said in a monotonous voice, still not looking at me.

I choked on my spit, and stared at him. Let me emphasize this when I say it – Natsu had never, EVER talked to me about his mother…EVER. In fact, I knew almost nothing of his life before he came to Tokyo. Only that he had come from Kyoto, and because of that, he liked the peaceful countryside.

Whenever I had tried to bring up the subject ("Hey, Natsu…before you came here…"), he would look at me blankly, smile, and say, "Hey, Luce…sorry, did you say something?" Those kinds of moments had heavy atmospheres, because I couldn't see anything in Natsu's eyes. No light. No darkness. Nothing. Just emptiness.

"Your mom? I…"

I didn't know what to say. How was I supposed to react? I barely even knew what Natsu's mother looked like, let alone knew her. Finally, as I saw Natsu's face wrench up in pain, I quickly said, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry…doesn't help," he said in a strained voice. "She's remarrying…on July 7th."

I dug my fingernails into the dirt, and again choked on my saliva. July 7th…was Natsu's birthday. To have your mother – who had divorced your father – marry someone else on the day you were born…ouch.

I opened and closed my mouth. NOW what was I supposed to say in return? For someone like me who had never known the pain of my parents separating, I was at a loss for words. Natsu rest his chin on his knees, and he kept staring out at the river back across from us. He seemed to be debating something inside his head, and his face twitched as he came to a conclusion. Natsu picked up a pebble at his side and threw it out into the water, where it skipped three times, and then sank. The summer heat of the day was already coming on, but I managed to ignore the cicada's loud cries as Natsu opened his mouth to speak.

"My mom and dad were childhood friends," he said simply.

"Really? Like us, then?" I asked. Wrong words. I saw him flinch at my comment.

"They told me their love story thousands of times, even though I was pretty much still a three-year-old."

"And you can still remember it?" I asked, awed. Though I shouldn't be. I had always known that Natsu had a fantastic memory.

"They met when they were four. My mom, Natsumi Abe, fell in love with my dad, Igneel Dragneel, immediately. But my dad was dense…a little like me. It took some time for their 'childhood friend' status to progress to something more…but by the time they became a couple…they were utterly in love with each other. My dad told me that there was no one else but my mom that could make him smile even in the most horrible times…and she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met," Natsu said in a flat tone. His story was sounding a little like the fantasy I had dreamed would happen between him and me. "Mom confessed in middle school. They started dating then. They were together for years."

"That's romantic," I said, not able to hide the tremble in my voice. Why couldn't that have happened to US in junior high?

"They divorced, though," Natsu said flatly. When I just turned four, they divorced. They decided it after a particular fierce fight. When I came into the room, my mom was crying."

And that's not romantic.

"She was hurt. In pain. In agony. After liking someone for so many years…after being in a relationship with that same person after so many years…their romance had ended. I came into the room…and I got scared when I saw her tears. You know what she told me?"

"W-what?"

He suddenly looked directly into my face.

"It's fine, Natsu…I'm fine…"

"But, she wasn't," I said in a small voice.

But he didn't answer me back. He just kept staring at my face, looking over its features with observant eyes.

Finally, his mouth opened, and in a choked up voice, he said, "I love you, Luce."

"Huh?" I asked. "What?!"

No reply.

After a few minutes of silence, I began to laugh uneasily. "Ahahaha…I know that already, Natsu. I love you, too, Natsu…I always have-"

He grabbed my wrist. "No. Not like that. I don't love you as a childhood friend…but as something more. I always have. I've been in love with you for years now. From the time we were four. Always."

"Th-then…" I said, my voice shaking, "Why…why didn't you tell me before?! Why are you dating Lisanna?!"

"Because I'm scared," he said, his voice cracking. "I'm scared of our relationship ending like my parents'. I'm scared that in the end, I'm going to hurt you like my dad hurt my mom! I'm scared you're going to wait until I leave a room after our relationship has ended to cry your eyes out! I'M SCARED OF HURTING THE ONLY GIRL WHO HAS EVER BEEN IMPORTANT TO ME!"

"Then haven't you already hurt me?! I've ALWAYS loved you as well, Natsu! Do you know how much it hurt to see you go out with Lisanna?! Do you?!" I yelled back, standing up and backing away from him. I was trying to hold back my tears but it was no use. They were spilling over like mini floods out of my eyes.

His eyes widened in horror at my words. "Then isn't it enough?"

"What?!"

"Then why don't you just leave me alone! Stay away from me…and don't get hurt further…"

I clenched my fists. "I won't have that, Natsu Dragneel! I won't let you have a noble reason for dumping me like that! If you were so scared of hurting a girl like your dad hurt your mom, then why are you dating Lisanna?!"

"Because…" he said quietly. "Because as unheard of as it may seem…I'm not as scared of hurting Lisanna as much as I'm scared of hurting you…I thought that if I dated her, I would forget about you…and if you found someone else…then that'd be even better. It was stupid of me to even get jealous over how close you were with Matsumura. I should have just stood by and watched you fall for him. But when it comes to you…I can't think, I can't strategize, and I can't act like how I planned to…you're my weak spot Luce…you're the one thing that can get me to collapse like a tower of cards."

I stood there, clenching my fists, gritting my teeth together, until finally… "But what about your feelings, Natsu?"

"Huh?"

"What's going to happen to your feelings if our relationship ended years from now? What about your feelings as you try to suppress them and force yourself to like someone else?! Why can't you just go out into the world and smile for yourself now and then?!"

He smiled at me. "Because I'm not completely selfless, Luce…I'm scared of getting hurt, too. I'm scared that someday, after you've fallen out of love with me…after our romance has ended…you're going to marry someone else and leave me behind. I found this fear today, when I discovered my mom was getting married."

"BUT I'M NOT HER, NATSU! WE'RE NOT YOUR PARENTS! WE CAN MAKE THIS WORK!"

He shook his head, and stood up. "For me…who is nothing but a coward…I find that I can't make that risk."

"But, Natsu!" I cried, grabbing onto his arm.

"Enough, Lucy…" he said flatly, and shook me off. He walked past me, bumped into my shoulder, and continued on without a backwards glance.

* * *

(Natsu's POV)

I knew it had been a reckless thing to tell her my feelings, and I would never have told her about them if I hadn't discovered that letter. As I walked down the path, I couldn't help but wonder where I was supposed to go now. Rubbing my head in frustration, I turned a sharp corner, and headed for Gray's house. Maybe I could practice a few baseball techniques while I was there. These days, I was getting entirely off track from my usual practice. This kind of attitude didn't get an aspiring baseball player to Koshien.

The hot sunlight of the summer day burned my back as I tried to walk in the shadows. Everything was heavy with heat as I sauntered down the sidewalk. I tried not to think…

You can't, Luce. You can't become my girlfriend.

_Why not?_

That'd be gross! Like I said, just friends. End of discussion.

_You know how you said we're friends?_

_We'll be together forever, right?_

_Right?_

_Natsu, whether we're in a relationship or just friends, we'll be together forever, right?_

Yeah, Luce, we'll stick together like glue.

_Then let's seal it with a pinky promise._

Do we got to?

_Yeah, Natsu._

_Pinky promise. We'll always be together, and stick to each other like glue._

_Girls can hang out with guys, too!_

_You are probably the stupidest person alive to mess with a member of the Heartfilia family._

_Just so you know, you'd be at the bottom of the girls' class ranking list too, you freakin' ugly flamebrain!_

Luce…don't be mad at me…I'm sorry about earlier…

I actually think you're really pretty.

_So I've heard she's your best friend? She's so pretty, Natsu. You guys suit each other._

You think? Everyone keeps asking if we're dating…but I don't really look at Lisanna that way, you know?

…_We'll be together forever right?..._

…_together, forever, right?..._

…_together forever…_

…_together…_

I collapsed to my knees, and brought my hand to my eyes. Tears were flowing uncontrollably out my eyes, and I gasped for air as sobs racked my body.

Why did I even make that stupid promise when I can't even keep it?

I cover my face with my hands.

If only I hadn't fallen in love with my childhood friend.

* * *

**And so...yes, that is Natsu's reason for suppressing his feelings for Lucy...I didn't want to make it a shallow reason or Natsu would receive even more hate...ahahaha! It's so funny how I always manage to make everyone hate Natsu in my stories...!**

**Hope you liked this chapter!**

**Please review!**

**Until next chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17: Summer Part 3

**I've finally updated! There's not going to be Lucy's POV here, just Natsu's...this chapter is pretty short, sorry for that, but...I hope you like it anyways, ne?!**

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Fairy Tail!**

**Just Taiga Matsumura...**

* * *

**Prologue Chapter 16: Summer Part 3**

** -Natsu's POV_All the Way Through_-**

July Seventh.

No birthday party.

No presents.

No card.

No greeting.

Just an early morning.

A white tent.

A dozen or more tables with six chairs each.

Guys in suits.

Women in dresses.

I sat moodily in my own seat, holding the wineglass in my hands that neither held wine nor any other alcoholic drink. Instead, it held the bubbly remnants of what had been soda. My right hand moved in circular motions, moving the leftover contents around and around the transparent cup as I stared down, my left hand in my dress pants' pocket.

Everyone else was on the makeshift dance floor, singing and dancing happily as they laughed and chatted. Little did they know that today was not only a wedding but also someone's birthday. It was the bride's son's birthday. When my mother and her newly found husband had walked down the aisle, everyone had clapped, even Igneel, who hadn't even been drunk. I suspected he'd feel guilty about it if he wasn't entirely sober for his ex-wife's second wedding.

"Natsu…did you know the person Natsumi's marrying today has also been through a divorce? His wife and two sons are coming! You'll have step-brothers!"

"Didn't know. Don't give a sh*t," I had answered back. Mom had come to our table and sat down smiling brightly.

"Happy birthday, Natsu!" she had exclaimed.

"Whatever."

Her smile had faltered, but she had pulled over her new husband over. He had completely black hair with bright red eyes. On his face were glasses – the kind you usually see doctors wear. "This is him! His name is Ryousuke!"

"Today is your birthday?" he had asked. "That's magnificent! My eldest son's birthday is on the first of September! I think you guys will get along just fine! And my youngest son has been excited about having two older brothers! My wife and two sons are coming over…they aren't here yet…must be some kind of car jam. Or maybe the plane is late…or something!"

"Or maybe they don't want to be here, just like I didn't," I had flatly replied, lifting my eyes to his face, and leaving mine's void of any emotion. "F*** off."

Surprisingly, neither Pops nor Mom had said anything about my unruly behavior. They had walked off a half hour later. Right now, they were slow dancing on the dance floor, smiling into each other's faces with a sickeningly sweet smile. I squeezed the cup so hard in my right hand that a fine crack appeared on the part where it contained beverages poured into it.

I slammed the wineglass onto the table, not caring as a few plates shook from the sudden vibrations and fell onto the neatly cut grass below. I hated being in this place. I hated it all. I hated Kyoto. All it brought back were bad memories of the past, and now…bad experiences of the present. Once upon a time, I had loved the open landscape, the fresh countryside, and the undisturbed nature. But right now, all I wanted was to get on the nearest plane, say good-bye with a one finger salute (you know what I mean) and travel back to Tokyo. There, Luce would be waiting for me…wouldn't she?

Maybe if I could get things right this time, we'd be able to go back to the way we were before I had gone ahead and blabbed about my feelings for her. Thinking about that golden head, those warm chocolate eyes, and her sweet, sugary smile made me feel sick and good inside at the same time. Once, Lucy had been my medicine for when things got bad for me; she had been a painkiller, a pill…a girl I had fallen in love with…and a girl I was still in love with.

I was sick of everything. I was sick of the conflicted feelings inside me. I love Lucy, but I can't love her. I have to be with Lisanna, but I don't want to be. I don't want to hurt Lucy, but I want to be with her. I hate Kyoto, but inside…if I really dug deep enough…I wanted to love it again. I wanted to stroll down fields, breathe in fresh air, lay in the meadows, and listen to the cicadas and see the fireflies fly by.

A sudden rapidity in the tempo of the music playing dragged me out of my deep pit of thoughts, and I held my head in my hands, and propped my elbows on my lap. I was also enraged at myself. All these years, holding onto the childish dream that maybe my mom or dad would realize their mistake and see that they are still in love with each other. Maybe, one day…we could be…_whole _again. I didn't want another family…whatever family that stupid doctor-y looking, black-haired bastard was from…entangled with ours.

Dragneels would stay Dragneels.

And whatever-family-that-stupid-doctory-looking-black- haired bastard-was-from would stay whatever-family-that-stupid-doctory-looking-black- haired bastard-was-from.

Everyone whooped as the tune playing over the stereos became fast, light, and bubbly. People laughed as they tripped over their own feet, clutched onto their lovers, and kept on dancing. I was the only one in a chair. A lady with pinned up dark brown hair waltzed up to me, and chuckled.

"What are you doing sitting around?! Come on! Dance with the others!" And then, in a jokingly condescending voice, she said, "Or are you Mister Wet Blanket, the Party Pooper, the Boring-?!"

"Look, lady!" I said, standing up so abruptly that my chair toppled over backwards and the table shook violently, causing other plates and a few cups to fall onto the ground. The grass acted as a cushion so none of them shattered in glassy shrapnel. "Would YOU want to dance at a f***ing wedding where your mother who has divorced your father is the bride?! _WOULD YOU WANT TO DANCE AT YOUR MOTHER AND HER NEW SECOND HUSBAND'S WEDDING THAT'S SCHEDULED ON YOUR BIRTHDAY!?"_

The lady is shocked; so shocked, that she is frozen to the spot.

"Screw this all!" I yell. The room – or tent – has gone silent. Everyone is staring at me. "I'm going!"

I turn to make my statement true, but a loud, deep voice shouts out, "Natsu! You stop your ass right there!"

I whirl around to confront my outraged father, who is approaching me with a terrifying speed. But the anger that is building and growing inside of me is so hot that I don't care, and I don't have enough emotions beside rage to be frightened by his practically boiling countenance.

"What?" I say in a murderous tone, my voice low and taunting. "Are you going to ground me? Disown me?"

Igneel looks into my eyes, his gaze enough to melt gold and silver.

Mom and that New Husband Guy are also coming over.

When they arrive, I smirk. "Well, well…the whole GANG is in on the fun!"

"That's enough, Natsu!" Igneel said hotly. "This is your mother's wedding and I FORBID you to act this way!"

"I don't care if you forbid me…this whole thing is stupid, and I shouldn't have come."

"Natsu-!"

"Natsu…are you angry?"

My mother.

I turn towards her. She is standing firm, her face calm and serene. That Ryousuke guy is standing next to her, unsure of what to do.

"No," I say. "I'm done with that. I'm beyond that point. I'm livid. I'm outraged. I am full of spite, thoughts of revenge, and murder…does that make it any better…_Mother?"_

I say the last word so sarcastically that I can see the hurt on her face. For a moment, my heart sinks. I've disappointed her. She's hurt again. I'm so, so, so stupid. It's all my fault. All my fault. Everything. Every single damn thing is my own damn fault.

I've done it.

I've screwed up everyone's lives.

I should just jump off a cliff.

I avert my gaze, and turn around. "I'm leaving."

"Natsu!"

I don't listen, and run towards the only entrance and exit there is. But I don't get far. I run into someone.

I retaliate, and glare at the obstruction.

He has red hair, red eyes, and a surprised expression on his face. He's in a black suit, like me, but he's not sporting a vest like I am. Realization dawns on me as I see who it is.

"Matsumura?!" I practically yell (actually, I WAS yelling). "What are you doing here?!"

"What do you mean what I'M doing here?" he hissed. "This my Dad's wedding."

"It can't be…" I said, my eyes widening. "Because…this is my mom's…wedding…"

A woman walks in with a grade schooler by her side. The younger boy has black hair and brown eyes. The woman has red hair and brown eyes.

But I only focus on Matsumura. He focuses on me. The horrible, horrible realization is coming down on us.

The stupid, doctor-y, black-haired bastard speaks up, "Taiga, you made it! Natsu…this is my ex-wife and two sons! They're your step-brothers…"

No.

F***ing.

Way.

My mother has become Natsumi Matsumura. And the one guy I hate the most is now my step-brother. Taiga Matsumura's dad married my mom.

Sh*t.

* * *

**Gasp! cliffhanger! I've been using those a LOT in my stories. And...who knew?! Actually, I thought the way I described that stupid, doctor-y black-haired bastard guy was a tipoff...**

**Recommendations from me...the author...: ****Recently, I have read one of my readers' stories - KatChanIsCool. It is called The Light Mage's Past! She uses original characters as well. Lissa resembles Lucy and Wren resembles Natsu - except a lot less stupid! Please try and give it a read! **

**And in addition...concerning Taiga Matsumura *insert fangirl squeals - if any exist...*:****I have put a poll on my profile concerning which magic type Taiga would use. I really want to know your thoughts on that! And I'll check the poll! So far, I think only seven people have voted!**

**And...anyways...I think I'm off to try to update MAB now...and then Signed, Lucy...**

**Please review!**

**Until next chapter! **


	18. Chapter 18: Summer Part 4

**All right. As promised, an update for this story...but it's really short! Sorry for that! I am very tired right now... **

**Disclaimer: I Do not Own Fairy Tail**

* * *

**Prologue Chapter 17: Summer Part 4 (Lucy's POV)**

I clutched onto the box of cookies nervously, and pressed the doorbell to Natsu's house. Igneel and he had come home last night, probably tired and exhausted from their flight home, but Mother had insisted on bringing them welcoming home snacks. I stiffened as I heard shuffles from within in the house, and the crisp sound of the door unlocking. Igneel's face – or rather his eye - appeared from a small crack. He grunted when he realized who it was, and flung open the door abruptly.

"Lucy," he said cheerfully, but I could hear the exhaustion that burdened his tone. "It's so nice to see you."

"Hey, there, Igneel…" I greeted, nodding my head and smiling thoughtfully. "I've brought these for you."

Igneel noticed the tin container in my hands and took it gratefully. "Thanks. I love these."

He gestured for me to come in, and I accepted. Their home smelled of something sweet and spicy, like there was always something cinnamon-related baking in their oven – an absurd thought since neither Natsu nor Igneel knew how to bake at all. I rubbed my arms uncomfortably as Igneel staggered into the living room and crashed onto the sofa. He appeared extremely tired, but made no move to lie down to continue sleeping.

"Igneel…" I said hesitantly. He looked up at me, his eyes twinkling knowingly. "Is Natsu…okay?"

The man sighed, scratching his stubbly jaw in frustration. "Far from it. He's upstairs. I don't think he's slept at all."

I nodded slightly. "Excuse me…"

I exited the living room and crept up their carpeted stairway as my heart pounded in my chest. When I got to Natsu's bedroom door, I turned the knob slowly, and opened it gradually. It reminded me of the time in seventh grade, where I had burst in on Natsu dressing. The thought warmed my cheeks, but I looked inside anyways.

The room was dark and cool. On Natsu's bed, I could see his hunched over figure sitting up, and facing the window beside his bed – which meant his back was confronting me. Before I even spoke up, he his voice filled the silence. "What are you doing in here, Luce?"

I gripped the doorknob in my right hand, and replied, "Checking up on you. How was the…wedding?"

"I hated it."

The door swung open as I entered, and approached him. When I was three feet away, I stopped walking, and glanced around at the surroundings. With a jolt, I realized it had been a long time since I had stepped foot into Natsu's bedroom. The walls were now covered with more baseball posters of famous players, a calendar, pictures from field trips in middle school, and photographs of the Fairy Tail Academy baseball club. In a cluttered part of a wall were pictures of Natsu as a child, and my eyes widened as I saw myself in a majority of them. I had expected for Natsu to take all of these down by now – what would Lisanna say if she were ever to come in here? I placed my hand over my heart. How would I feel if she ever came here?

"The guy my mom married is some kind of doctor."

I jumped as Natsu's voice broke me out of my thoughts. My heart rate quickened as my throat clenched up and I racked my mind for words to say. "That's cool…"

"I have step brothers."

I panicked inwardly. What was I supposed to say to that? How was I supposed to respond? My palms became sweaty and clammy as I opened and closed my mouth soundlessly. This was the first time in a couple of days that I had spoken to Natsu after he had confessed to me. Even without this nerve-wracking talk about his mother re-marrying, I would have felt anxious being alone with him.

"That's…great, Natsu. You won't be an only child anymore…"

"I will always be an only child, Luce. Those people aren't related to me, and I won't acknowledge them as relatives by marriage – never. And I don't want a step brother who's Taiga Matsumura."

At the last words, he turned around and glared at me. I was startled to find his eyes rimmed with exhaustion, and his face lined with the effects of the lack of sleep. But the name he had uttered silenced me completely. My mind raced, and threw thoughts randomly each millisecond. Had I ever asked Taiga about his mother and father? I hadn't. And he had only ever talked about his maternal parent, never about the other. My heart pumped loudly in my chest and I grabbed onto my right shoulder. Taiga hadn't told me anything.

"I don't want to have to do anything with that bastard."

Natsu's voice was poisonous. "And I certainly don't want that guy's dad to be married with my mom."

I felt myself stumble back. Oh, Mavis.

This had all turned out for the worse. I had never imagined in the time I had known Taiga that his Dad would somehow meet Natsu's mom and decide to marry her. Wasn't this the kind of thing that happened to characters in dramas, and protagonists in books? My world crumbled a little before me as I contemplated one thought – Natsu and Taiga are stepbrothers. And they both love me. They hated each other, but their families were intertwined. I placed my hands over my mouth in shock as I gazed at Natsu's direct stare.

"His dad isn't my stepfather, he and his little brother aren't my brothers by marriage, and I won't accept the fact that my mother presented herself as a stepmother to those bastards."

I could hear the pain leaking out of his tone.

I took my hands away from my mouth and said, "Natsu…Natsu…I…Taiga…he isn't a bad guy. Please. Understand that. Having him as a part-brother…won't be that bad. He's a good guy, and I think he feels the same way as you-"

"Don't give me that crap, Lucy," Natsu interrupted suddenly, standing up and approaching me. He pushed me against a wall, and planted his hands on either side of my head. "Don't give me that 'he's a good guy' and 'won't be that bad' bullsh*t, Luce."

I stared at him in shock, and winced as I felt his warm breath on my face. He was too close to me. Too close for the first time in years. I could feel my lungs contracting painfully as I fought to keep my feelings under control. My love for him was suffocating me.

"Because I don't need it. I don't need that crap," Natsu said, looking directly into my eyes with his onyx ones. "I don't need it. I don't."

For a moment, I said nothing. My voice was quiet, low, and high-pitched when I finally replied.

"Then what do you need, Natsu?"

"What I need is…" he began, examining my face. His face grew steadily closer. I could feel the air he was exhaling on my neck, and I watched as he brought himself eye level to me. Our faces were centimeters from each other, and I became aware of little else but Natsu's eyes concentrating on mine's, and his lips just a little ways from mine's.

"What I need is…" he whispered. I gasped sharply as he turned his head away and drew back, holding his forehead in his hands. He walked away from me, and covered his eyes with his hands in an exhausted sort of way. "What I need is for you to leave."

I let myself breathe out in disappointment and humiliation. Letting my eyes trail over him, I turned around…and left.

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Natsu's POV

I had slipped up. Real badly.

I looked out my window at the front yard outside, watching Lucy leave slowly. I pulled the curtains closed and let my head hang down as I grieved over my mistake. Why had I done that?

I had almost said it.

Almost.

_What I need is…you._

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**Very short chapter. I'm slowly, slowly getting to the part about Valentine's Day and all that, but they're still in tenth grade. I really need to move them a year soon...hope you enjoyed this chapter! And thanks for reading!**

**Please review! **

**Until next chapter!**


	19. Chapter 19: New Year's Eve Part 1

**I'm back from my hiatus people! Yes, I have taken a very long leave, and I apologize for not updating in...a month? :O Here's the thing: I had a very, very severe case of writer's block, so this chapter may be...Just Okay...but sorry to keep you waiting! (You don't know how many times I re-typed the beginning of this chapter...and then I wrote out a version of it that was six pages long. Except that version was so bad that I deleted it all and rewrote it...) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

**I own Taiga Matsumura. **

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**Prologue Chapter 18: New Year's Eve Part 1 (Lucy's POV)**

Summer break ended, and consequently, the temperature plummeted. Students were forced to dig scarves out of closets, and wear their winter uniforms which consisted of sharp blazers and long sleeved, v-necked sweaters underneath. As the weeks passed, I was confronted by neither Natsu nor Taiga, although I did catch glimpses of them. Natsu talking to his friends, Taiga adjusting the scarf around his neck, ignoring each other as best as possible if they happened to cross each other's paths while making their way to their different, individual schools. Soon enough though, we made it through exams, and entered winter break.

The days only grew colder, and Christmas wasn't the same as usual. The Heartfilias had been forced to stay at home instead of going to the Dragneels' as they usually did. Apparently, the Matsumuras were making an appearance at their house. From the amount of silence that emanated from the place, we could make the assumption that Christmas dinner was awkward and uncomfortable.

Like that, the first few weeks of our precious break were long spent and gone. I had been alone during all of it – Levy was either going on a "date" with Gajeel and Erza had been studying up on what we had learnt thus far in the school year. The only hope I had of making a memorable holiday recess during the winter of being sixteen was the New Year's Festival. (A/N: Lucy's birthday has passed. I have chosen not to make a chapter about it, but it takes place somewhere between August – beginning of December. Taiga's birthday has passed as well – it was on September First. Since I imagine Lucy a little bit younger than him, her birthday is probably after his(?))

The New Year's Festival was something everyone looked forward to. It was prime time to confess and begin your year with a brand new relationship; a time to review what you could have done better this year and what you would change this next one. It was the day where, holding a cup of a warm, sweet Japanese beverage called amazake, you would count down to the very last second of the year you were in and cheer the new one in.

And always, Natsu would be by my side, wearing a light jacket – he never seemed to be bothered by the cold, and exuded enough body heat that he could have been a human heat furnace – and a white scarf bound around his neck as he watched the fireworks explode in the sky. Our breaths would cloud in front of us as he laughed and muttered, "Happy New Year's Luce."

And I'd say it right back to him, reveling in that warm feeling that would start at my heart and spread outward throughout my whole body. And at the end of the festival, after we had paid our respects, prayed – ringing the bell and clapping twice before clasping our hands together and wishing for something – and hung our little wooden wish plaques up, Natsu and I would walk home, discussing what we would definitely make different this year.

Confess.

That would be one of my resolutions every year.

But I'd never get around to it.

And now maybe I never will.

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"Would you hurry your ass up?!" Levy practically screamed from outside my bedroom door – which she was pounding on. I finished pulling on my jacket, wrapped my scarf around my neck quickly, and opened my door just as the bluenette was preparing to slam her clenched up fist down on my poor door again.

"I'm done," I said gloomily, tying my hair up into a ponytail. Erza, who was standing beside Levy dressed in a big, puffy jacket, and comfortable sweats frowned irritably.

"No, no, Lucy," the redhead said disapprovingly. "None of this 'Natsu isn't coming with me to the festival this year' crap. Today is New Year's Eve. A day where you're supposed to reflect on the _new year. _What's the point of spending a day like this brooding over something like that?"

I pulled my scarf up over my mouth, and pulled the fluffy beanie my mom had given me for Christmas over my head. She and Dad had headed out for the temple earlier so they could help a couple of their friends who were in charge of a few stalls. Natsu was meeting up somewhere with Lisanna and her siblings, and even Taiga had plans with his friends from Sabertooth. I had been left behind, fully convinced that I was going to spend this New Year's Eve alone until Levy and Erza had come in to rescue me – in a violent sort of way – but with the catch being that their boyfriends would be tagging along. (A/N: Yes, Levy is going out with Gajeel and Erza with Jellal. I'll probably put in a side story of how that happened later on.) I agreed with it. After all, just because I was miserable didn't mean other people had to be, right?

"I'm _not _brooding," I protested weakly.

"Lies!" Erza accused as we descended the staircase. Levy hopped onto the banister and slid down, cheering all the way. Her tiny voice echoed throughout the big house, and a pang of loneliness shook me for a moment before I brushed it off.

It was true I was brooding. From the moment Natsu had told me he was going to the festival with his girlfriend and breaking tradition by not attending with me, I had fallen into a hopeless gloomy mood. And so, despite all the blaring warning signs, I had called Taiga – early in the morning.

In a sleepy tone, he had answered, and his grogginess had quickly escalated into irritation and slight amusement when he heard my request.

"Go to the festival with you? _That's _what you're calling me at five in the morning for?" he had said in annoyance. "Although I'm flattered you miss me so much, Lucy, I already have plans. Sorry."

The line had clicked, and I had been left with the flat beep of the dial tone until I had mustered enough dignity to turn the phone off. I hadn't taken Taiga's humor very well. Two minutes later, I had dialed in Levy's number, and had endured her profanity-filled rant for ten minutes before I could fess up my problems to her.

Our feet touched ground with the outside, and I deftly locked my front door. We headed out the gate, and started down the sidewalk. The temple wasn't that far away, surprisingly. We could expect it to be crowded though, considering we lived in a city after all.

"Ever since the whole re-marriage thing, it's been awkward between them," I said, wrapping my scarf more closely to my neck. A sharp breeze had started up; this year's winter had been a freezing one so far. "And I can't bring myself to talk to them. I don't even know how Taiga feels about this whole thing."

"I don't know how this concerns you, Lucy," Erza said, combing through her scarlet hair with her thin, delicate fingers. I closed my mouth at that. I had told them both of Taiga's confession, but not of Natsu's. I couldn't risk getting word out and ruining Lisanna's and his relationship. "It's their problem. Just talk to them normally."

"Hey, you guys! I heard you're stepbrothers! Awesome! Wanna play _hanetsuki _with me?" Levy said, her voice high-pitched as she tried to mock me. "That's going to go terrifically well, Erza."

(A/N: Hanetsuki – a New Year's game similar to badminton where two wooden paddles are used to hit a brightly colored shuttlecock back and forth. Usually played by girls.)

I rolled my eyes as the redhead hooked her arm around the bluenette's neck, and the two proceeded to wrestle as we walked. The sounds of loud music, and excited chattering met our ears as we turned a corner. The shrine was growing close, and already the sweet aromas of kurikinton (1), kinpira gobo (2), and kamaboko (3) wafted to us. My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten breakfast since I had been so busy with preparing everything with my mom and dad.

For a moment, I forgot everything else as we ascended the carved, slightly eroded steps leading to the elegant, red front entrance of our local shrine and entered the chaotic world of the Japanese New Year. Little kids, screaming, laughing, and pointing to various foods they wanted, were everywhere. There were couples, ranging from middle schoolers to elderly citizens, roaming here and there, clasping each other's hands and laughing as they were presented with a particular food they didn't want.

I suddenly felt claustrophobic as people pushed past me, trying to catch up with someone or trying to get to a certain place. I tsked slightly in annoyance as I moved off to the side and pressed up against Levy, who was turning her head every which way.

Suddenly, she screamed loudly; the sound pierced the air like a knife. My ears rang as I turned abruptly to see what was wrong, only to see her shouting profusely at a tall boy with spiky black hair, multiple earrings, red eyes, and a seemingly sadistic demeanor.

"Gajeel!" Levy shouted. "Sh*t! You scared me! Can't you meet up with your girlfriend in a more normal way like other people?!"

"Nah," he answered, slinging his arm around her and planting a kiss on her lips. Without hesitation, she returned it with gusto, placing her hand lightly on his cheek. I looked away, a raw feeling gnawing at my gut and throat as the back of my eyes prickled. I blinked incredulously when I was met with the sight of Erza blushing and laughing. The boy in front of her was taller than her, slim, and had an athletic build. His hair was unusually blue, and there was a red tattoo sporting an intricate pattern around one of his eyes. The two individuals' hands were linked together by their intertwining fingers.

They held each of their joined hands out to the side and laughed joyously as they moved in closer together, talking and chatting as if they had met up hours ago.

I sighed, and started to mutter incoherent things under my breath as I looked from side to side. Why couldn't I have a love life like Erza and Levy's? Not simple necessarily, but with uncomplicated requited feelings, and a whole lot of happiness that surely outweighed the sadness.

"I'm leaving," I announced loudly, but neither pair paid any attention to me they were so absorbed in each other. Pursing my lips, I took a step into the current of passersby and was swept in the river of the crowd. I could barely see to the side of me, and once or twice, a kid would collide into the back of my legs, almost sending me sprawling onto the ground. Finally, I felt so suffocated that I had to step out, and take a breather. I was a good distance away from the entrance now, and there wasn't a couple in sight.

I brushed myself off and sat heavily down on a low wall nearby, which ran around a stooped tree that still had Christmas decorations all over it. Rubbing my arms, I listened to snippets of conversations absentmindedly. After a while, I leaned my head against the tree trunk and breathed slowly as the loud chatter around me became low murmurs in my sleepy stupor.

I thought about a lot of things as I sat there, hugging my arms and hearing various foods sizzling on portable grills, or simmering in big, gigantic pots full of boiling water or soup.

I thought about Igneel and Natsu.

I thought about Taiga and the short times he had mentioned his mother.

I thought about Natsu's stepdad being Taiga's biological dad.

I thought about Taiga's stepmom being Natsu's biological mom.

My mom, dad, and me.

Levy's parents and her.

Erza's strict and fussy mother and father.

I could almost feel myself drifting off to ten years ago, transforming back into a six-year-old huddled into the crook of my mom's arms. She's breathing evenly, holding a thin picture book in her hands that she reads from, and enunciating each word perfectly. Dad is somewhere in the house, recruiting every stuffed animal that I had ordered to be on my bed that night. Later, he would come in and stuff a fluffy teddy bear in my arms, and then begin to arrange all the things he gathered onto the bed as I liked them to be. After he finished, Mom would complete the story, and they'd tuck me into bed.

I had never been one for pampering, but that was the only time I allowed it. It was a special time for my parents and me. I'm sure Natsu has a special time he shared with his parents, and that Taiga has one, too. I'm sure everyone has one.

And suddenly, everything came into clarity for me.

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**(1) kurikinton - ground out sweet potato: chestnuts are added**

** (2) kinpira gobo - stewed, stripped burdock root **

** (3) kamaboko - fish cake (of course, not literally made from yeast and flour...the main ingredient is just seafood/ fish)**

**I hope you really enjoyed this chapter...it was pretty slow though. It's just a transitioning chapter from one event to the next so...sorry about the 'no excitement' factor. **

**Please review!**

**Until next chapter!**


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